UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
(Rule 14a-101)
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
Proxy
Statement Pursuant to Section 14(
a
) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (AMENDMENT NO.)
Filed by the Registrant ☒
Filed by a Party other than the Registrant☐
Check the appropriate box:
| ☐ | Preliminary Proxy Statement |
| ☐ | Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) |
| ☒ | Definitive Proxy Statement |
| ☐ | Definitive Additional Materials |
| ☐ | Soliciting Material under 240.14a-12 |
ARCTURUS THERAPEUTICS HOLDINGS INC.
(Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if Other Than the Registrant)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
| ☒ | No fee required. |
| ☐ | Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11. |
| 1) |
Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies: |
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Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies: |
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| 3) |
Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant
to Exchange Act Rule 0-11
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| 4) |
Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction: |
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| ☐ | Fee paid previously with preliminary materials. |
| ☐ | Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing. |
| 1) |
Amount Previously Paid: |
| 2) |
Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.: |
| 3) |
Filing Party: |
| 4) |
Date Filed: |
10628 Science Center Drive, Suite 250,
San Diego, California 92121
To our Stockholders:
We are pleased to invite you to attend the 2024 annual meeting of stockholders (the Annual Meeting) of Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. (the Company or Arcturus), to be held on June 14, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time, at https://www.cstproxy.com/arcturusrx/2024. The Annual Meeting will be a completely virtual meeting of stockholders, which will be conducted exclusively on the internet. No physical meeting will be held.
Details regarding how to attend the entirely virtual Annual Meeting and the business to be conducted at the Annual Meeting are more fully described in the accompanying notice of annual meeting of stockholders and proxy statement.
Your vote is important. Regardless of whether you plan to attend the virtual Annual Meeting, it is important that your shares be represented and voted at the Annual Meeting, and we hope you will vote as soon as possible. You may vote by proxy over the Internet or by mail by following the instructions on the proxy card or voting instruction card. Voting over the Internet, written proxy or voting instruction card will ensure your representation at the Annual Meeting regardless of whether you attend the Annual Meeting.
Thank you for your ongoing support of, and continued interest in, Arcturus.
Sincerely,
| /s/ Dr. Peter Farrell | /s/ Joseph E. Payne |
|
Dr. Peter Farrell Chairman of the Board |
Joseph E. Payne President and Chief Executive Officer |
San Diego, California
April 29, 2024
ARCTURUS THERAPEUTICS HOLDINGS INC.
10628 Science Center Drive, Suite 250,
San Diego, California 92121
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
| Time and Date | 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time, on June 14, 2024. |
| Place | Virtually via the Internet at https://www.cstproxy.com/arcturusrx/2024. No physical meeting will be held. |
| Items of Business |
(1) To elect Dr. Peter Farrell, Joseph E. Payne, Andy Sassine, James Barlow, Dr. Edward W. Holmes, Dr. Magda Marquet, Dr. Jing L. Marantz, and Dr. John Markels to the Board of Directors (the Board), to serve until our next annual meeting of stockholders. (2) To approve an amendment to the Amended and Restated 2019 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan (as amended, the Plan) to, among other things, increase the maximum number of shares of common stock available to Plan participants thereunder by 2,000,000 shares to an aggregate of 10,750,000 shares (the Amendment). (3) To approve, on a non-binding advisory basis, the resolution approving named executive officer compensation. (4) To ratify the appointment of Deloitte Touche LLP (Deloitte), as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024. (5) To transact other business that may properly come before the annual meeting. |
| Adjournments and Postponements | Any action on the items of business described above may be considered at the annual meeting at the time and on the date specified above or at any time and date to which the annual meeting may be properly adjourned or postponed. |
| Record Date | April 22, 2024. Only stockholders of record of our common stock as of April 22, 2024 are entitled to notice of and to vote at the annual meeting. |
| Meeting Admission | You are invited to virtually attend the annual meeting if you are a stockholder of record or a beneficial owner of shares of our common stock, in each case, as of April 22, 2024. You may attend the Annual Meeting and vote during the Annual Meeting by visiting https://www.cstproxy.com/arcturusrx/2024 and using your control number to enter the virtual Annual Meeting. If you are not a stockholder of record but hold shares as a beneficial owner in street name, you may be required to provide proof of beneficial ownership. |
| Voting |
Your vote is very important. You may vote by proxy over the Internet or by mail by following the instructions on the proxy card or voting instruction card. For specific instructions on how to vote your shares, please refer to the section entitled Questions and Answers About the Proxy Materials and Annual Meeting in the accompanying proxy statement. |
By order of the Board of Directors,
/s/ Dr. Peter Farrell
Dr. Peter Farrell
Chairman of the Board
San Diego, California
April 29, 2024
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
| QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE PROXY MATERIALS AND ANNUAL MEETING | 1 |
| Board of directors and corporate governance | 7 |
| Proposal number 1. election of directors | 16 |
| proposal number 2. TO APPROVE THE AMENDMENT TO THE AMENDED AND RESTATED 2019 OMNIBUS EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN | 17 |
| PROPOSAL NUMBER 3. TO APPROVE BY NON-BINDING ADVISORY VOTE, THE RESOLUTION APPROVING THE COMPANYS NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICER COMPENSATION | 24 |
| proposal number 4. ratification of appointment of independent registered public accounting firm | 25 |
| report of the audit committee | 26 |
| executive officers | 28 |
| executive compensation | 29 |
| related party transactions | 49 |
| security ownership | 50 |
| other matters | 51 |
| proposals of stockholders for 2025 annual meeting | 52 |
ARCTURUS
THERAPEUTICS HOLDINGS INC. PROXY STATEMENT
The information provided in the Questions
and Answers format below is for your convenience only and is merely a summary of the information contained in this proxy statement.
You should read the entire proxy statement carefully. In this proxy statement, we refer to Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc., a Delaware
corporation, as Arcturus, the Company, we, us, our and other similar pronouns.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Why am I receiving these materials?
This proxy statement and the enclosed form of
proxy are furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies by our Board for use at the 2024 annual meeting of stockholders of
Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc., a Delaware corporation, and any postponements or adjournments thereof.
The annual meeting will be held on June 14, 2024
at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time, at https://www.cstproxy.com/arcturusrx/2024. The Annual Meeting will be a completely virtual meeting of stockholders.
Stockholders are invited to attend the virtual
annual meeting and are requested to vote on the items of business described in this proxy statement. The proxy statement is being mailed
on or about May 1, 2024 to all stockholders entitled to vote at the annual meeting.
Who may vote at the annual meeting?
Only stockholders of record as of the close
of business on April 22, 2024, the record date, are entitled to vote at the annual meeting. As of the record date, there were 26,928,041
shares of our common stock issued and outstanding, held by nine holders of record. We do not have cumulative voting rights for the election
of directors.
Stockholder of Record: Shares Registered in
Your Name
. If, at the close of business on the record date for the annual meeting, your shares were registered directly in your name
with our transfer agent, Continental Stock Transfer Trust Company (Continental), then you are a stockholder of record.
As a stockholder of record, you have the right to grant your voting proxy directly to the individuals listed on the proxy card or to vote
online, by mail, or in person at the annual meeting.
Beneficial Owner: Shares Registered in the
Name of a Broker, Bank, or Other Nominee
. If, at the close of business on the record date for the annual meeting, your shares were
held, not in your name, but rather in an account at a brokerage firm, bank, or other nominee, then you are the beneficial owner of shares
held in street name and these proxy materials are being forwarded to you by that organization. The organization holding
your account is considered the stockholder of record for purposes of voting at the annual meeting. As a beneficial owner, you have the
right to direct your broker, bank or other nominee regarding how to vote the shares in your account by following the voting instructions
your broker, bank or other nominee provides. You are also invited to attend the annual meeting. However, since you are not the stockholder
of record, you may not vote your shares in person at the annual meeting unless you obtain a valid proxy from your broker, bank or other
nominee.
How do I gain admission to the virtual annual
meeting or vote my shares at the virtual annual meeting?
You are entitled to attend the virtual Annual Meeting only if you were
a stockholder of record as of the record date for the Annual Meeting, which was April 22, 2024, or you hold a valid proxy for the Annual
Meeting.
Registered Stockholders
1
If your shares are registered in your name with Arcturus transfer
agent and you wish to attend the online-only virtual meeting, go to https://www.cstproxy.com/arcturusrx/2024, enter the control number
you received on your proxy card or notice of the meeting and click on the Click here to preregister for the online meeting
link at the top of the page. Just prior to the start of the meeting you will need to log back into the meeting site using your control
number. Pre-registration is recommended but is not required in order to attend.
Beneficial Owner: Shares Registered in the Name of a Broker, Bank
or Other Nominee
Beneficial stockholders who wish to attend the online-only virtual
meeting must obtain a legal proxy by contacting their account representative at the bank, broker, or other nominee that holds their shares
and e-mail a copy (a legible photograph is sufficient) of their legal proxy to our transfer agent, Continental Stock Transfer (Continental),
proxy@continentalstock.com. Beneficial stockholders who e-mail a valid legal proxy will be issued a meeting control number that will allow
them to register to attend and participate in the online-only meeting. After contacting Continental, a beneficial holder will receive
an e-mail prior to the meeting with a link and instructions for entering the virtual meeting. Beneficial stockholders should contact Continental
at least five business days prior to the meeting date.
How do I ask questions at the virtual Annual Meeting?
Stockholders have multiple opportunities to submit questions to the
Company for the virtual Annual Meeting. Stockholders who wish to submit a question in advance may do so at https://www.cstproxy.com/arcturusrx/2024.
Stockholders may also submit questions online during the meeting at https://www.cstproxy.com/arcturusrx/2024. Given time constraints,
some questions may not be addressed during the virtual Annual Meeting.
How can I vote my shares?
Stockholder of Record: Shares Registered in Your Name
If you are a stockholder of record, you may vote in one of the following
ways:
If you are a beneficial owner of shares held of record by a broker,
bank or other nominee, you will receive voting instructions from your broker, bank or other nominee. You must follow the voting instructions
provided by your broker, bank or other nominee in order to instruct your broker, bank or other nominee on how to vote your shares.
What am I voting on?
You are being asked to vote on four
proposals:
2
What if other matters are properly brought before the annual meeting?
As of the date of this proxy statement, we are
not aware of any other matters that will be presented for consideration at the annual meeting. If any other matters are properly brought
before the annual meeting, the persons named as proxies will be authorized to vote or otherwise act on those matters in accordance with
their judgment. If for any reason any of Dr. Peter Farrell, Joseph E. Payne, Andy Sassine, James Barlow, Dr. Edward W. Holmes, Dr. Magda
Marquet, Dr. Jing L. Marantz or Dr. John Markels is not available as a candidate for director, the persons named as proxy holders will
vote your proxy for such other candidate as may be nominated by our Board.
How does the Board recommend that I vote?
Our Board recommends that you vote your shares:
Can I change my vote or revoke my proxy?
Stockholder of Record: Shares Registered in Your Name.
If you are a stockholder of record, you can
change your vote or revoke your proxy at any time before the annual meeting by:
Beneficial Owner: Shares Registered in the
Name of a Broker, Bank or Other Nominee
. If you are the beneficial owner of your shares, you must contact the broker, bank or other
nominee holding your shares and follow their instructions to change your vote or revoke your proxy.
What is the effect of giving a proxy?
Proxies are solicited by, and on behalf of,
our Board. Joseph E. Payne, our President and Chief Executive Officer, and Andy Sassine, our Chief Financial Officer, have been designated
as proxies for the annual meeting by our Board. When proxies are properly dated, executed and returned, the shares represented by such
proxies will be voted at the annual meeting in accordance with the instruction of the stockholder. If no specific instructions are given,
however, the shares will be voted in accordance with the recommendations of our Board as described above and, if any other matters are
properly brought before the annual meeting, the shares will be voted in accordance with the proxies judgment.
How many votes do I have?
On each matter to be voted upon at the annual
meeting, each stockholder will be entitled to one vote for each share of our common stock held by them on the record date.
3
What is the quorum requirement for the annual meeting?
A quorum is the minimum number of shares
required to be present or represented at the annual meeting for the meeting to be properly held under our bylaws and Delaware law.
Holders of at least 33.33% of the voting power of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote at the annual meeting must be
present in person (including virtually) or represented by proxy for us to hold and transact business at the annual meeting. On the
record date, there were 26,928,041 shares outstanding and entitled to vote. Thus, the holders of at least 8,886,254 shares must be
present in person (including virtually) or represented by proxy at the annual meeting to have a quorum.
Abstentions, WITHHOLD votes, and
broker non-votes (as explained below) are counted as present and entitled to vote for purposes of determining a quorum.
If there is no quorum, the meeting may be adjourned to another date by the chairman of the meeting or the holders of a majority of the
voting power present in person (including virtually) or represented by proxy at the annual meeting and entitled to vote.
What are broker non-votes?
Broker non-votes occur when a beneficial owner
of shares held in street name does not give instructions to the broker holding the shares as to how to vote on matters deemed
non-routine and there is at least one routine matter to be voted upon at the meeting. Generally, if shares
are held in street name, the beneficial owner of the shares is entitled to give voting instructions to the broker holding the shares.
If the beneficial owner does not provide voting instructions, the broker can still vote the shares with respect to matters that are considered
to be routine, but not with respect to non-routine, matters. In the event that a broker votes shares on the
routine matters, but does not vote shares on the non-routine matters, those shares will be treated as broker
non-votes with respect to the non-routine proposals. Accordingly, if you own shares through a nominee, such as a broker
or bank, please be sure to instruct your nominee how to vote to ensure that your vote is counted on each of the proposals.
What matters are considered routine and non-routine?
The ratification of the appointment of Deloitte
as our independent registered public accounting firm for our fiscal year ending December 31, 2024 (Proposal No. 4) is considered routine
under the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (Nasdaq). All other proposals are considered non-routine under
applicable federal securities rules and the rules of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC.
What are the effects of abstentions and broker non-votes?
Abstentions (i.e. shares present at the annual meeting and marked
abstain) are deemed to be shares presented or represented by proxy and entitled to vote, and are counted for purposes of
determining whether a quorum is present. However, abstentions are not counted as a vote either for or against a proposal, and have no
effect on the outcome of the matters voted upon.
A broker non-vote occurs when the beneficial owner of shares fails
to provide the broker, bank or other nominee that holds the shares with specific instructions on how to vote on any non-routine
matters brought to a vote at the annual meeting. In this situation, the broker, bank or other nominee will not vote on the non-routine
matter. Broker non-votes are counted for purposes of determining whether a quorum is present and have no effect on the outcome of the
matters voted upon.
Note that if you are a beneficial holder, brokers
and other nominees will be entitled to vote your shares on routine matters without instructions from you. The only proposal
that would be considered routine in such event is the proposal for the ratification of the appointment of Deloitte as our
independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024 (Proposal No. 4). A broker or other nominee
will not be entitled to vote your shares on any non-routine matters, absent instructions from you. Non-routine
matters include all proposals other than Proposal No. 4, including the election of directors. Accordingly, we encourage you to provide
voting instructions to your broker or other nominee whether or not you plan to attend the meeting.
4
What is the voting requirement to approve each of the proposals?
Proposal No. 1: Election of Directors.
The
election of each of Dr. Peter Farrell, Joseph E. Payne, Andy Sassine, James Barlow, Dr. Edward W. Holmes, Dr. Magda Marquet, Dr. Jing
L. Marantz and Dr. John H. Markels to the Board requires a plurality of the votes cast by the holders of shares present in person or represented
by proxy at the annual meeting and entitled to vote on the election of a director. This means that if each of the nominees receives one
or more votes, he or she will be elected as a director. You may vote FOR or WITHHOLD for each of the nominees.
Because the outcome of this proposal will be determined by a plurality vote, shares voted WITHHOLD will not generally prevent
each of Dr. Peter Farrell, Joseph E. Payne, Andy Sassine, James Barlow, Dr. Edward W. Holmes, Dr. Magda Marquet, Dr. Jing L. Marantz and
Dr. John H. Markels from being elected as a director. Shares voted WITHHOLD will count towards the quorum requirement for
the annual meeting.
Proposal No. 2
: Amendment to the
Plan. The approval of the Amendment to the Plan requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast on the proposal at the
annual meeting. You may vote FOR, AGAINST, or ABSTAIN on this proposal. Abstentions will
count towards the quorum requirement for the annual meeting but will not count as a vote for or against the proposal.
Proposal No. 3
:
Say on
Pay
. The approval, on an advisory basis, of the Say on Pay Proposal requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes
cast on the proposal at the annual meeting. You may vote FOR, AGAINST, or ABSTAIN on this
proposal. Abstentions will count towards the quorum requirement for the annual meeting but will not count as a vote for or against
the proposal.
Proposal No. 4: Ratification of
Appointment of Deloitte.
The ratification of the appointment of Deloitte requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the
votes cast on the proposal at the annual meeting. You may vote FOR, AGAINST, or ABSTAIN on
this proposal. Abstentions will count towards the quorum requirement for the annual meeting but will not count as a vote for or
against the proposal.
Who will count the votes?
A representative of Continental will tabulate
the votes and may act as inspector of elections.
What if I do not specify how my shares are to be voted or fail
to provide timely directions to my broker, bank or other nominee?
Stockholder of Record: Shares Registered
in Your Name
. If you are a stockholder of record and you submit a proxy but you do not provide voting instructions, your shares will
be voted:
In addition, if any other matters are properly
brought before the annual meeting, the persons named as proxies will be authorized to vote or otherwise act on those matters in accordance
with their judgment.
Beneficial Owner: Shares Registered in the
Name of a Broker, Bank or Other Nominee
. Brokers, banks and other nominees holding shares of common stock in street name for customers
are generally required to vote such shares in the manner directed by their customers. In the absence of timely directions, your broker,
bank or other nominee will have discretion to vote your shares on our sole routine matter - Proposal No. 4 relating to ratifying
the appointment of Deloitte. Absent direction from you, however, your broker, bank or other nominee will
not
have the discretion
to vote on Proposal No. 1, 2, or 3.
5
How can I contact Arcturus transfer
agent?
You may contact our transfer agent by writing
Continental Stock Transfer Trust Company, 1 State Street, 30
th
Floor, New York, NY 10014. You may also contact our transfer
agent via email at cstmail@continentalstock.com or by telephone at (212) 509-4000.
How are proxies solicited for the annual meeting, and who is paying
for such solicitation?
Our Board is soliciting proxies for use at the
annual meeting by means of the proxy materials. We will bear the entire cost of proxy solicitation, including the preparation, assembly,
printing, mailing and distribution of the proxy materials. Copies of solicitation materials will also be made available upon request to
brokers, banks and other nominees to forward to the beneficial owners of the shares held of record by such brokers, banks or other nominees.
The original solicitation of proxies may be supplemented by solicitation by telephone, electronic communication, or other means by our
directors, officers or employees. No additional compensation will be paid to these individuals for any such services, although we may
reimburse such individuals for their reasonable out-of-pocket expenses in connection with such solicitation. We do not plan to retain
a proxy solicitor to assist in the solicitation of proxies, although we may engage a proxy solicitor in the future.
If you choose to access the proxy materials
and/or vote over the Internet, or attend the annual meeting virtually, you are responsible for any Internet access charges you may incur.
Where can I find the voting results of the annual meeting?
We will announce preliminary voting results
at the annual meeting. We will also disclose voting results on a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC), within four business days after the annual meeting. If final voting results are not available to us in time to file
a Current Report on Form 8-K within four business days after the annual meeting, we will file a Current Report on Form 8-K to publish
preliminary results and, within four business days after final results are known, file an additional Current Report on Form 8-K to publish
the final results.
What does it mean if I receive more than one set of printed materials?
If you receive more than one set of printed
materials, your shares may be registered in more than one name and/or are registered in different accounts. Please follow the voting instructions
on each set of printed materials to ensure that all of your shares are voted.
I share an address with another stockholder, and we received only
one printed copy of the proxy materials. How may I obtain an additional copy of the proxy materials?
We have adopted an SEC-approved procedure called
householding, under which we can deliver a single copy of the proxy materials and annual report to multiple stockholders
who share the same address unless we receive contrary instructions from one or more of the stockholders. This procedure reduces our printing
and mailing costs. Stockholders who participate in householding will continue to be able to access and receive separate proxy cards. Upon
written or oral request, we will undertake to promptly deliver a separate copy of the proxy materials and annual report to any stockholder
at a shared address to which we delivered a single copy of any of these documents. To receive a separate copy, or, if you are receiving
multiple copies, to request that we only send a single copy of next years proxy materials and annual report, you may contact us
at the address below, or call us at 858-900-2660:
Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc.
Stockholders who hold shares in street name
may contact their brokerage firm, bank, broker-dealer or other nominee to request information about householding.
When are stockholder proposals due for next years annual
meeting?
Please see the section entitled
Proposals
of Stockholders for 2025 Annual Meeting
in this proxy statement for more information regarding the deadlines for the submission
of stockholder proposals for our 2025 annual meeting.
6
BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Composition of the Board
Our Board is currently composed of eight members.
The following table sets forth the names, ages, and certain other information for our directors.
Dr. Peter Farrell
is the Chairman of
our Board, a position he has held since May 2018. In addition, Dr. Farrell is the founder, former long-term CEO and current Chairman of
ResMed Inc. (NYSE:RMD). Dr. Farrell has been Chairman and a director of ResMed since 1989, when the company began as a management buyout
of sleep technology from Baxter Healthcare. Peter was previously Foundation Director of the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Graduate
School for Biomedical Engineering (1978-89) while simultaneously serving as Vice President of Research Development for Baxter Healthcare
in Tokyo (1984-89). Dr. Farrell served on the board of directors of NuVasive, Inc., a company focused on the surgical treatment of spine
disorders. Dr. Farrell serves on the board of trustees of The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla and is Chairman of the Boston-based
POC NMR diagnostic company, WaveGuide. Since July 2019, Dr. Farrell has been a director of Evolus, Inc. (EOLS). Dr. Farrell is a fellow
or honorary fellow of several professional bodies, including the US National Academy of Engineering. He was inducted as 1998 San Diego
Entrepreneur of the Year for Health Sciences, 2001 Australian Entrepreneur of the Year and 2005 US National Entrepreneur of the Year for
Health Sciences. Dr. Farrell was appointed to the Executive Council of the division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School in 1998,
was appointed Vice Chairman in 2000 (2000-2010), became Chairman in 2010 and served in that capacity for three years. He is on various
academic advisory boards including UCSDs Jacobs School of Engineering, where he was named the 2012 Gordon Fellow, UCSDs
Rady Business School and the MIT Dean of Engineerings Advisory Council. Dr. Farrell holds a B.E. with honors in chemical engineering
from the University of Sydney, an SM in chemical engineering from MIT, a PhD in bioengineering from the University of Washington, Seattle,
and a DSc from UNSW for research which resulted in improved treatment for both hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients. Dr. Farrell
is nominated for re-election on our Board because of his significant experience as an executive and director of a number of companies
in the healthcare sector.
Joseph E. Payne
is our President and
Chief Executive Officer, positions he has held since March 2013. Mr. Payne served on our predecessors board since March 2013. He
brings with him an exceptional track record of ushering novel therapeutics to the clinic including targeted RNA medicines utilizing lipid-mediated
delivery technologies. Mr. Paynes background includes over 20 years of successful drug discovery experience at Merck Research Labs,
DuPont Pharmaceuticals, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Kalypsys, and Nitto Denko Corporation as evidenced by over 40 publications and patents,
and several investigational new drug (IND) clinical candidates. His academic training includes a Bachelors Degree in Chemistry,
magna cum laude from Brigham Young University, a Master of Science in Synthetic Organic Chemistry from the University of Calgary and Executive
Training Certification from MIT Sloan School of Management. He served on the board of directors of Vallon Pharmaceuticals Inc., a public
clinical-stage company focused on the development and commercialization of novel abuse-deterrent medications for CNS disorders, until
April 2023. Mr. Payne is nominated for re-election on our Board because of his position as our President and Chief Executive Officer and
his significant experience in the pharmaceutical sector. As a member of our executive team, Mr. Payne serves a vital function in the link
between management and our Board, enabling the Board to perform its oversight function with the benefits of managements perspective
on the business.
7
Andy Sassine
has served as our Chief
Financial Officer since January 2019. Mr. Sassine served as one of our directors from May 2018 until June 2019, and was reelected as a
director in September 2019. Mr. Sassine serves on the board of directors of iCAD Inc. (NASDAQ:ICAD), a leading provider of advanced image
analysis, workflow solutions and radiation therapy for early detection and treatment of cancer. Mr. Sassine served in various positions
at Fidelity Investments from 1999 to 2012, including, most recently as Portfolio Manager. Between 2004 and 2011, he managed the Fidelity
Small Cap Stock Fund, the Fidelity International Small Cap Opportunities Fund and the Fidelity Advisor International Small Cap Opportunities
Fund. Mr. Sassine joined Fidelity as a high yield research analyst, covering the Telecommunications, Satellite, Technology, Defense and
Aerospace, and Restaurant Industries and in 2001, joined the international group as a research analyst covering small and mid-cap international
stocks. Mr. Sassine earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Iowa in 1987 and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University
of Pennsylvania in 1993. Mr. Sassine is nominated for re-election on our Board because of his position as our Chief Financial Officer
and his extensive knowledge and experience as a fund manager and board member of other similarly-sized companies.
James Barlow
is a member of the board
of directors of NAHS Holding, Inc., an Employee Stock Ownership Plan company, whose affiliates provide post-acute care, subacute care,
short and long-term rehabilitation, and skilled nursing in the United States. Mr. Barlow is a C-level financial executive with more than
30 years of experience leading teams in the successful strategic achievement of financial and operational goals, and expertise in domestic
and international operations, financial planning, forecasting and reporting, restructurings, business development and integrations, treasury
and investor relations. As an Executive Officer (Principal Accounting Officer) at Allergan, Inc. from January 2002 to March 2015, he oversaw
financial due diligence, integration and structuring for all significant asset purchases, sales, business combinations and licensing transactions,
the spin-off of Advanced Medical Optics, the $3.3 billion acquisition of Inamed Corporation and more than $4.5 billion in other transactions.
He ensured consistent application of corporate policies and procedures and alignment with global reporting and corporate compliance requirements,
made recommendations globally to improve financial operations and participated in robust financial planning/forecasting activities. Prior
to joining Allergan, Mr. Barlow served as Chief Financial Officer of Wynn Oil Company, a division of Parker Hannifin Corporation, during
2001, Treasurer and Controller of Wynns International, Inc. from 1990 to 2000 and Vice President and Controller of Ford Equipment
Leasing Company from 1986 to 1990. From 1983 to 1985 Mr. Barlow worked for the accounting firm Deloitte Haskins and Sells. Mr. Barlow
received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting, graduating magna cum laude, from Brigham Young University and a Master of Accountancy,
graduating with honorshigh distinction, from Brigham Young University. He is a certified public accountant (inactive). Mr. Barlow
is nominated for re-election on our Board of Directors because of his significant experience as an executive and director of a number
of companies in the healthcare sector, and because of his financial and accounting expertise.
Dr. Edward W. Holmes
has served as a
member of our Board of Directors since September 2019. Dr. Holmes is currently a Distinguished Professor of Medicine at the University
of California, Vice Chancellor/Dean of Health Sciences Emeritus at the University of California, San Diego, and CEO/President of the Sanford
Consortium for Regenerative Medicine. Dr. Holmes has served as Chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania,
Vice President for Translational Medicine at Stanford University, and Vice Chancellor/Dean of Duke University School of Medicine. Dr.
Holmes was the Executive Deputy Chairman of the Biomedical Research Council and the Executive Chairman of the National Medical Research
Council in Singapore; he was a Senior Fellow in A*STAR and Advisor to the National Research Council of Singapore. He holds an appointment
as the Lien Ying Chow Professor of Medicine at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore. For his contributions
to the Singapore government, Dr. Holmes was made an Honorary Citizen in 2011, and he was awarded the Presidents Science and Technology
Medal in 2017. Dr. Holmes also served on the Council of Advisors for the National Institute for Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases
of the National Institutes of Health. He served as Chair of the Research Advisory Board of GlaxoSmithKline, on the scientific advisory
board of Ajinomoto and on the board of directors of Tularik, Inc. He also served on the Grand Challenges Explorations Innovation Review
Panel for the Gates Foundation. He has been elected to membership in the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association
of American Physicians, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a member of the United States National
Academy of Medicine. Dr. Holmes holds a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Holmes is nominated for re-election
on our Board because of his significant experience in research, medicine and genetics.
8
Dr. Magda Marquet
, Ph.D., joined our
Board of Directors in 2018. Dr. Marquet has served as co-founder and co-chief executive officer of ALMA Life Sciences LLC, an early-stage
healthcare investment firm, since 2013. Dr. Marquet also has been a co-founder of AltheaDx, a biotechnology company, since 2009. Dr. Marquet
previously served as the co-founder and chairman of Althea Technologies from 2009 to 2019, and previously served as its co-president and
co-chief executive officer from 1998 to 2009. Prior to starting Althea Technologies, Dr. Marquet held several positions in product development
and pharmaceutical development in companies such as Vical and Amylin Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Marquet served on the board of directors of
Pfenex from 2019 until its acquisition by Ligand Pharmaceuticals in October 2020 and now serves on the board of directors of AnaptysBio
since January 2021 as well as several private company boards. Dr. Marquet holds a Ph.D. in biochemical engineering from INSA/University
of Toulouse, France. Dr. Marquet is nominated for re-election on our Board because of her significant experience as an executive and director
of a number of companies in the life sciences sector, and because of her management and clinical expertise.
Dr. Jing L. Marantz, M.D., Ph.D.
, joined
our Board of Directors in December 2021. Dr. Marantz has served as Chief Medical Officer of Scholar Rock Holding Corporation, a clinical
stage biopharmaceutical company, since November 2022. From January 2022 to August 2022, Dr. Marantz served as Chief Business Officer of
Krystal Biotech, Inc. after serving on its board for a year. From October 2020 to January 2022, Dr. Marantz served as Senior Vice President
of Medical Affairs of Acceleron Pharma Inc. until its acquisition by Merck Co., Inc. From June 2018 to September 2020, Dr. Marantz
served as Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals. Prior to Alnylam, Dr. Marantz has held leadership positions
at Alexion, Biogen, ARIAD, and Millennium Pharmaceuticals across development, medical affairs, and business development. Previously Dr.
Marantz was a management consultant with Strategic Decisions Group and briefly affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital following
a post-doctoral fellowship at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. Marantz received her medical training from Tongji Medical College,
a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Medical University of South Carolina, and an MBA from the University of California
at Berkeley.
Dr. John H. Markels
, Ph.D., joined our
Board of Directors in December 2022. Dr. Markels serves on the board of directors of Sangamo Therapeutics and chairs and serves on the
advisory boards for the University of California, Berkeley College of Chemistry and University of Delaware Department of Chemical and
Biomolecular Engineering, respectively. Dr. Markels retired from Merck Co., Inc. (Merck) in March 2022, most recently
as President of Global Vaccines, where he led an integrated team dedicated to discovery and development, supply and access, and global
marketing and long-term strategy for the vaccines portfolio. Earlier roles at Merck included President, Latin America from January 2018
to January 2019, SVP, Global Human Health Business Strategy from January 2017 to December 2017, Managing Director, Mexico from November
2013 to January 2017. Prior to his commercial roles, he had a long career in senior leadership positions in global manufacturing, including
operations leadership for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific and emerging markets as well as manufacturing technology and product
development roles in active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and vaccines. Dr. Markels received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from
the University of California, Berkeley and his B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware. Dr. Markels is nominated
for re-election on our Board because of his significant experience as an executive and director of a number of companies in the life sciences
sector, and because of his management and expertise in the pharmaceutical, manufacturing, and technology sectors.
Director Independence
The listing rules of Nasdaq require us to maintain
a Board comprised of a majority of independent directors, as determined affirmatively by our Board. In addition, the Nasdaq listing rules
require that, subject to specified exceptions, each member of our audit, compensation and nominating and corporate governance committees
must be independent. Audit committee members and compensation committee members must also satisfy the independence criteria set forth
in Rule 10A-3 and Rule 10C-1, respectively, under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act). Under
the Nasdaq listing rules, a director will only qualify as an independent director if, in the opinion of our Board, the director
does not have a relationship that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out his or her responsibilities.
9
Our Board has undertaken a review of the independence
of our directors and considered whether any director has a material relationship with us that could compromise his or her ability to exercise
independent judgment in carrying out his or her responsibilities. Based upon information requested from and provided by each director
concerning his or her background, employment and affiliations, including family relationships, our Board has determined that none of Dr.
Farrell, Mr. Barlow, Dr. Holmes Dr. Marquet, Dr. Marantz and Dr. Markels (representing six of our eight directors), has a relationship
that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director and that they each are
an independent director as that term is defined under the Nasdaq listing rules. Mr. Payne is not considered independent
due to his position as our President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Sassine is not considered independent due to his position as our
Chief Financial Officer.
In making these determinations, our Board considered
the relationships that each nonemployee director has with us and all other facts and circumstances our Board deemed relevant in determining
their independence, including consulting relationships, family relationships and the beneficial ownership of our capital stock by each
non-employee director.
Board Leadership Structure
Our Board is currently chaired by Dr. Farrell.
Our Board believes that we and our stockholders are currently best served by this leadership structure. As Chairman, Dr. Farrell promotes
unified leadership and direction for our Board and management and provides the critical leadership necessary for carrying out our strategic
initiatives. Dr. Farrell, together with our Boards strong committee system and independent directors, allows our Board to maintain
effective oversight of our business operations, including independent oversight of our financial statements, executive compensation, selection
of director candidates, and corporate governance programs. We believe our current Boards leadership structure enhances its ability
to effectively carry out its roles and responsibilities on behalf of our stockholders.
There are no family relationships among any
of our directors and executive officers, nor have any of our directors or executive officers been involved in a legal proceeding that
would be required to be disclosed pursuant to either 103(c)(2) or 401(f) of Regulation S-K of the Exchange Act.
Role of Board in Risk Oversight Process
Our Board has an active role, as a whole and
also at the committee level, in overseeing risk management. Our Board is responsible for general oversight and regular review of risk
management, including financial, strategic, and operational risks. The compensation committee is responsible for overseeing the management
of risks relating to our executive compensation plans and arrangements, and whether our compensation policies and programs have the potential
to encourage excessive risk taking. The audit committee is responsible for overseeing the management of risks relating to accounting matters
and financial reporting. The nominating and corporate governance committee is responsible for overseeing our corporate governance practices
and the management of risks associated with Board independence and potential conflicts of interest. Although each committee is responsible
for evaluating and overseeing the management of certain risks, the entire Board is regularly informed through discussions from committee
members about such risks. The Board believes its leadership structure is consistent with and supports the administration of its risk oversight
function.
Board Meetings and Committees
During 2023, our Board held five meetings,
and each director attended at least 75% of the aggregate of (i) the total number of meetings of our Board held during the period for
which he or she has been a director and (ii) the total number of meetings held by all committees of our Board on which he or she
served during the periods that he or she served.
Our Board has established an audit committee,
a compensation committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee. The composition and responsibilities of each of the committees
of our Board is described below.
Audit Committee
The members of our audit committee are Mr. Barlow,
Dr. Holmes and Dr. Marquet. Effective June 1, 2024, Mr. Markels will join the audit committee in place of Dr. Marquet. Mr. Barlow serves
as the chairman. Each of the members of our audit committee is an independent director under the Nasdaq listing rules, satisfies the additional
independence criteria for audit committee members and satisfies the requirements for financial literacy under the Nasdaq listing rules
and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act, as applicable.
10
Our Board has also determined that Mr. Barlow
qualifies as an audit committee financial expert within the meaning of the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and satisfies the
financial sophistication requirements of the Nasdaq listing rules.
Our audit committee oversees our corporate accounting
and financial reporting process and assists our Board in monitoring our financial systems and our legal and regulatory compliance. Our
audit committee also:
Our audit committee operates under a written
charter approved by our Board and that satisfies the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and the listing requirements of Nasdaq.
The charter is available on the corporate governance section of our website, which is located at http://ir.arcturusrx.com/governance-highlights.
Our audit committee held four meetings during 2023.
Compensation Committee
The members of our compensation committee are
Dr. Marquet, Dr. Marantz and Mr. Barlow. Dr. Marquet is currently the chairwoman of our compensation committee. Our Board has determined
that each member of our compensation committee is an independent director under the current rules of Nasdaq, satisfies the additional
independence criteria for compensation committee members under Rule 10C-1 of the Exchange Act and the Nasdaq listing rules, is a non-employee
director within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act, and is an outside director for purposes of Section
162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code).
Our compensation committee oversees our corporate
compensation programs. The compensation committee also:
Our compensation committee is also responsible for assessing
and monitoring whether any of our compensation policies and programs have the potential to encourage excessive risk-taking.
11
Our compensation committee operates under a written
charter approved by our Board and that satisfies the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and the listing requirements of Nasdaq.
The charter is available on the corporate governance section of our website, which is located at http://ir.arcturusrx.com/governance-highlights.
Our compensation committee held five meetings during 2023.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and
Insider Participation
None of the members of the compensation committee
was at any time one of our officers or employees. None of our executive officers serves as a member of the board of directors or compensation
committee of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving as members of our Board or compensation committee.
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
The members of our nominating and corporate
governance committee are Dr. Holmes, Dr. Marantz and Dr. Markels. Dr. Holmes is the chairman of our nominating and corporate governance
committee. Our Board has determined that each member of our nominating and corporate governance committee is independent under the Nasdaq
listing rules.
Our nominating and corporate governance committee
oversees and assists our Board in reviewing and recommending nominees for election as directors. The nominating and corporate governance
committee also:
Our nominating and corporate governance committee
operates under a written charter approved by our Board and that satisfies the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and the listing
requirements of Nasdaq. The charter is available on the corporate governance section of our website, which is located at http://ir.arcturusrx.com/governance-highlights.
Our nominating and corporate governance committee held one meeting during 2023.
Board Diversity
Effective corporate governance is critical for
both our long-term performance and maintaining stockholder trust. Our Board is responsible for overseeing the governance, strategy and
operation of the Company. Our eight directors come from diverse backgrounds, drawing on their substantial experience across industries
and professional designations, including experience related to: biotechnology and pharmaceutical; finance, including investment management
and capital markets; healthcare and medical services and operations; philanthropy; public accounting; and higher education.
Board Diversity Matrix
12
Considerations in Evaluating Director Nominees
In its evaluation of director candidates, including
the member or members of the Board eligible for reelection, our nominating and corporate governance committee will consider the following:
The nominating and corporate governance committee also focuses on issues
of diversity, such as diversity in experience, international perspective, background, expertise, skills, age, gender, and ethnicity. The
nominating and corporate governance committee does not have a formal policy with respect to diversity; however, our Board and the nominating
and corporate governance committee believe that it is essential that members of our Board represent diverse viewpoints. Any nominee for
a position on the Board must satisfy the following minimum qualifications:
If our nominating and corporate governance committee
determines that an additional or replacement director is required, the committee may take such measures as it considers appropriate in
connection with its evaluation of a director candidate, including candidate interviews, inquiry of the person or persons making the recommendation
or nomination, engagement of an outside search firm to gather additional information, or reliance on the knowledge of the members of the
committee, Board or management.
After completing its review and evaluation of
director candidates, our nominating and corporate governance committee recommends to our full Board the director nominee. Our nominating
and corporate governance committee has discretion to decide which individuals to recommend for nomination as directors and our Board has
the final authority in determining the selection of director candidates for nomination to our Board.
Requirements for Stockholder Recommendations
of a Candidate to our Board
Our nominating and corporate governance committee
will consider recommendations for candidates to our Board from our stockholders. A stockholder that wishes to recommend a candidate for
consideration by the committee as a potential candidate for director must direct the recommendation in writing to Arcturus Therapeutics
Holdings Inc., 10628 Science Center Drive, Suite 250, San Diego, California 92121, Attention: Corporate Secretary, and must include the
candidates name, home and business contact information, detailed biographical data, relevant qualifications, a signed letter from
the candidate confirming willingness to serve, information regarding any relationships between us and the candidate and evidence of the
recommending stockholders ownership of our stock. Such recommendation must also include a statement from the recommending stockholder
in support of the candidate, particularly within the context of the criteria for Board membership, including character, integrity, judgment,
diversity of experience, independence, area of expertise, corporate experience, potential conflicts of interest, other commitments and
personal references. Our nominating and corporate governance committee will consider the recommendation but will not be obligated to take
any further action with respect to the recommendation. See
Stockholder Proposals and Director Nominations Not for Inclusion
in Proxy Statement
elsewhere in this proxy statement for additional requirements on the timeliness for recommendations for
candidates in connection with next years annual meeting.
13
Communications with the Board
In cases where stockholders or other interested
parties wish to communicate directly with our non-management directors, messages can be sent to Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc., 10628
Science Center Drive, Suite 250, San Diego, California 92121, Attention: Corporate Secretary. Our corporate secretary monitors these communications
and will provide a summary of all received messages to the Board at each regularly scheduled meeting of the Board. Our Board generally
meets on a quarterly basis. Where the nature of a communication warrants, our corporate secretary may determine, in his judgment, to obtain
the more immediate attention of the appropriate committee of the Board, non-management directors, independent advisors or our management,
as our corporate secretary considers appropriate.
Our corporate secretary may decide in the exercise
of his or her judgment whether a response to any stockholder or interested party communication is necessary.
This procedure for stockholder and other interested
party communications with the non-management directors is administered by our nominating and corporate governance committee. This procedure
does not apply to (i) communications to non-management directors from our officers or directors who are stockholders or (ii) stockholder
proposals submitted pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act.
Director Attendance at Annual Meetings
We do not have a formal policy regarding attendance
by members of our Board at annual meetings of stockholders. We encourage, but do not require, directors to attend.
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
The Companys Code of Business Conduct
and Ethics (the Code of Conduct) is applicable to all directors, officers and employees of the Company and its subsidiaries,
including but not limited to the Companys principal executive officer and principal financial officer.
A copy of the Code of Conduct on the corporate governance section
of our website, which is located at http://ir.arcturusrx.com/governance-highlights.
Human Capital Management
At Arcturus, dedication to human capital
management is a core component of our corporate governance and culture. Our comprehensive approach to human capital management is grounded
in our core values of integrity, excellence, and respect for people, which reflect our commitment to creating a safe, supportive, ethical,
and rewarding work environment.
As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately
180 full-time employees and no part-time employees.
Environmental, Social and Governance
Practices
We do not currently have a formal Environmental,
Social and Governance Policy (ESG Policy) in place, but plan to do so in the future. We anticipate that the ESG Policy,
when adopted by the Board, will include Human Capital Management as a key component, and focus on various topics, which
may or may not include (1) hiring, promotion and talent development; (2) health and safety; (3) compensation and benefits; and (4) diversity
and inclusion. Although we have not adopted a formal ESG Policy, our management and leadership incorporates the foregoing and other environmental,
social and governance considerations in all matters related to human capital and human capital management.
Employee, Officer and Director Hedging
Pursuant to our Insider Trading Policy, officers,
and employees are prohibited from engaging in any hedging transactions (including transactions involving options, puts, calls, prepaid
variable forward contracts, equity swaps, collars and exchange funds, or other derivatives) that are designed to hedge or speculate on
any change in the market value of our securities.
14
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION
Director Compensation Table
The following table and related footnotes show the compensation paid
during the year ended December 31, 2023 to our non-employee directors.
Narrative to Director Compensation Table
Our director compensation policy is intended
to provide a total compensation package that enables us to attract and retain qualified and experienced individuals to serve as directors
and to align our directors interests with those of our stockholders.
Annual Cash Compensation
The annual retainers payable to non-employee
directors for service on the Board and its committees are (i) $35,000 for service on the Board, (ii) $5,000 for service on each of the
compensation committee and the nominating and corporate governance committee, (ii) $7,500 for service on the audit committee, (iii) an
additional $20,000 for the Chairman of the Board, (iv) an additional $5,000 for the chairman of each of the compensation committee and
the nominating and corporate governance committee, and (v) an additional $10,000 for the chairman of the audit committee.
Inaugural Equity Grants
Each non-employee director who joins the board
receives an equity award of an option to purchase 20,000 shares of our common stock, which vests monthly over a two-year period from the
date of grant.
Annual Equity Grants
Each non-employee director received an
annual equity award of an option to purchase 11,622 shares of our common stock, which vests monthly over a one-year period from the date
of grant, together with 3,378 deferred stock units. New directors receive an annual equity grant that is prorated based on the number
of days of their service in the year of grant.
15
PROPOSAL NUMBER 1
Our Board is currently composed of eight directors.
At the annual meeting, each director will be elected to our Board by the holders of our common stock. Each directors term continues
until the election and qualification of his or her successor, or such directors earlier death, resignation or removal.
Nominees for Director
Our nominating and corporate governance committee
recommended for nomination and our Board nominated each of Dr. Peter Farrell, Joseph E. Payne, Andy Sassine, James Barlow, Dr. Edward
W. Holmes, Dr. Magda Marquet, Dr. Jing L. Marantz and Dr. John H. Markels, for election as a director at the annual meeting. If elected,
each will serve as a director until our next annual meeting and until his or her respective successor is duly elected and qualified. For
more information concerning each of the nominees, please see the section entitled
Board of Directors and Corporate Governance
.
Each of the nominees has agreed to serve if
elected, and management has no reason to believe that he or she will be unavailable to serve. In the event he or she is unable or declines
to serve as a director at the time of the annual meeting, proxies will be voted for any nominee who may be proposed by the nominating
and corporate governance committee and designated by the present Board to fill the vacancy.
Required Vote
The directors elected to the Board will be elected
by a plurality of the votes cast by the holders of shares present in person (including virtually) or represented by proxy and entitled
to vote on the election of a director. In other words, if each of the nominees receives a single FOR vote, he or she will
be elected as a director. Shares represented by executed proxies will be voted, if authority to do so is not expressly withheld, to elect
of each of Dr. Peter Farrell, Joseph E. Payne, Andy Sassine, James Barlow, Dr. Edward W. Holmes, Dr. Magda Marquet, Dr. Jing L. Marantz
and Dr. John H. Markels, as a director.
Board Recommendation:
Our Board recommends a vote FOR the election to
the Board of each of Dr. Peter Farrell, Joseph E. Payne, Andy Sassine, James Barlow, Dr. Edward W. Holmes, Dr. Magda Marquet, Dr. Jing
L. Marantz and Dr. John H. Markels, as a director.
16
PROPOSAL NUMBER 2
TO APPROVE
THE AMENDMENT TO THE AMENDED AND RESTATED 2019 OMNIBUS EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
We are asking our stockholders to approve the Amendment to the existing
Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. Amended and Restated 2019 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan (as amended, the Plan). Upon
recommendation of the compensation committee, the Board approved the Amendment, subject to receipt of stockholder approval, and has recommended
that stockholders approve this Proposal No. 2 to approve the Amendment. Equity-based compensation is an important component of our compensation
philosophy because it provides employees with long-term exposure to the Companys performance and aligns employees interests
with those of our stockholders. Approval of the Amendment will allow us to continue to grant equity compensation awards to our employees,
officers, and directors in furtherance of this philosophy.
We are asking our stockholders to approve the Amendment, which includes
the following material amendment (along with certain other clarifying changes):
The Companys officers and directors have an interest in this
Proposal No. 2 due to their participation in the Plan.
The reason for seeking stockholder approval
of Proposal No. 2 is to satisfy certain requirements of (i)the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the Code), related to
incentive stock option plans and (ii)applicable Nasdaq Marketplace Rules. Additionally, the Board believes that to enable the Company
to continue to attract and retain personnel of the highest caliber, provide incentive for officers, directors, employees and other key
persons and to promote the well-being of the Company, it is in the best interest of the Company and its stockholders to provide to officers,
directors, employees, consultants and other independent contractors who perform services for the Company, through the granting of stock
options, restricted stock, deferred stock or other stock-based awards, the opportunity to participate in the value and/or appreciation
in value of the Companys common stock.
We strongly believe that the approval of the
Amendment is essential to our continued success. The Companys directors and officers further believe that equity awards motivate
high levels of performance, align the interests of our employees and stockholders by giving directors, employees and consultants the perspective
of an owner with an equity stake in the Company, and provide an effective means of recognizing their contributions to the success of the
Company.
If our stockholders do not approve this Proposal
No. 2, we will be unable to use equity compensation to the extent needed to provide competitive compensation to motivate our employees.
If this Proposal No. 2 is not approved at the Annual Meeting, we could be required to increase cash compensation to attract, retain and
motivate our employees, which may compromise funding of our development programs.
The Companys officers and directors
believe that equity awards are necessary to remain competitive in our industry and are essential to recruiting and retaining the highly
qualified employees, directors and consultants who help the Company meet its goals. If the Amendment is not approved at the Annual Meeting
and we are then unable to offer equity awards as a component of compensation on agreeable terms, we will be at a disadvantage relative
to other companies which will be able to offer more attractive and broad-based compensation packages to their executive officers, directors,
and other key employees. The Companys officers and directors believe that the ability to grant equity awards is, now more than
ever, critical to the future success of the Company and in the best interests of the Companys stockholders.
17
Equity awards form a core component of our
compensation philosophies at it relates to our officers, other employees and non-employee directors. This Proposal No. 2 will give us
flexibility as to any compensation packages we offer, which we believe is critical during times of extremely volatility and uncertainty.
As a result, we believe our ability to hire, appoint, and retain key personnel would be negatively impacted by a failure to approve this
Proposal No. 2.
The general description of the Amendment set forth below is qualified
in its entirety by and subject to the full text of the form of proposed amendment, which is attached as
Appendix A
hereto.
If our stockholders fail to approve the Amendment, the Amendment will not be given effect and the current plan will continue as in effect
prior to the Amendment.
Summary of the Proposed Amendment to the Amended and Restated
2019 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan
Prior to the adoption of the Amendment, up to a maximum of 4,094,428
shares of common stock have been authorized for settlement of awards granted under the Plan prior to effecting the Amendment. The Amendment
increases the number of shares of common stock that are available for delivery pursuant to Awards granted under the Plan by 2,000,000
to 10,750,000 shares. As of the Record Date, the total number of shares remaining in reserve for issuance under the Plan was 300,984.
The Board and management, as described herein, believe that these available shares are insufficient for future business purposes of the
Plan. If this Proposal No. 2 is approved, an aggregate of 2,300,984 shares will be available for future grant under the Plan. Up to a
maximum of 2,300,984 shares may be issued pursuant to the exercise of incentive stock options.
Summary of the Plan, as Amended by the Amendment
The Plan covers the grant of awards to the Companys employees
(including officers), non-employee consultants and non-employee directors and those of the Companys affiliates. As of December
31, 2023, approximately 180 employees (including officers) and six non-employee directors were eligible to participate in the Plan. In
addition, the Plan permits the grant of awards (other than incentive stock options) to individuals who are expected to become an employee
to, non-employee consultant or non-employee director of the Company or any of its affiliates within a reasonable period of time after
the grant of an award. Any award granted to any individual who is expected to become an employee, non-employee consultant or non-employee
director will be automatically terminated and cancelled without consideration if the individual does not begin performing services for
the Company or any of its affiliate within twelve (12) months after the grant date. For purposes of the Plan, the Companys affiliates
include any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture or other entity, with respect to which we, directly or
indirectly, own either (i) stock of a corporation possessing more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of all classes
of stock entitled to vote, or more than fifty percent (50%) of the total value of all shares of all classes of stock of such corporation,
or (ii) an aggregate of more than fifty percent (50%) of the profits interest or capital interest of any non-corporate entity.
The compensation committee of the Board administers the Plan. The compensation
committee may delegate any or all of its administrative authority to the Companys Chief Executive Officer or to a management committee
except with respect to awards to executive officers who are subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, the full Board must
serve as the committee with respect to any awards to the Companys non-employee directors.
The stock delivered to settle awards made under the Plan may be authorized
and unissued shares or treasury shares, including shares repurchased by the Company for purposes of the Plan. If any shares subject to
any award granted under the Plan (other than a substitute award as described below) is forfeited or otherwise terminated without delivery
of all or a portion of such shares, including on payment in shares on exercise of a stock appreciation right (or if such shares are returned
to the Company due to a forfeiture restriction under such award), the shares subject to such awards will again be available for issuance
under the Plan. Any shares that are withheld or applied as payment (either actually or by attestation) for shares issued upon exercise
of an award or for the withholding or payment of taxes due upon exercise of the award will not be treated as having been delivered under
the Plan and will, at the discretion of the Company, be available for grant under the Plan.
18
If a dividend or other distribution (whether in cash, shares of common
stock or other property), recapitalization, forward or reverse stock split, subdivision, consolidation or reduction of capital, reorganization,
merger, consolidation, scheme of arrangement, split-up, spin-off or combination involving the Company or repurchase or exchange of our
shares or other securities, or other rights to purchase shares of the Companys securities or other similar transaction or event
affects the common stock such that the committee determines that an adjustment is appropriate in order to prevent dilution or enlargement
of the benefits (or potential benefits) provided to grantees under the Plan, the committee will make an equitable change or adjustment
as it deems appropriate in the number and kind of securities subject to awards (whether or not then outstanding) and the related exercise
price relating to an award in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available
under the Plan.
Other than in the case of substitute awards, (i) a non-employee director
who is a lead independent director or a director chair or a newly-appointed director may not be granted awards for cash or shares that
together with any awards granted outside of the Plan have a fair market value (determined as of the date of grant) in excess of $2,000,000
in a single calendar year and (ii) any other non-employee director may not be granted awards for cash or shares that together with any
awards granted outside of the Plan have a fair market value (determined as of the date of grant) in excess of $1,000,000 in a single calendar
year.
Types of Awards
The Plan permits the granting of any or all of the following types
of awards to all grantees:
Generally, awards under the Plan are granted for no consideration other
than prior and future services. Awards granted under the Plan may, in the discretion of the committee, be granted alone or in addition
to, in tandem with or in substitution for, any other award under the Plan or other plan of ours; provided, however, that if SARs are granted
in tandem with ISOs, the SARs and ISOs must have the same grant date and term and the exercise price of the SARs may not be less than
the exercise price of the ISOs. The material terms of each award will be set forth in a written award agreement between the grantee and
us.
Stock Options and SARs
The committee is authorized to grant SARs and stock options (including
ISOs except that an ISO may only be granted to an employee of the Company or one of its subsidiary corporations). A stock option allows
a grantee to purchase a specified number of shares of the common stock at a predetermined price per share (the exercise price)
during a fixed period measured from the date of grant. A SAR entitles the grantee to receive the excess of the fair market value of a
specified number of shares on the date of exercise over a predetermined exercise price per share. The exercise price of an option or an
SAR will be determined by the committee and set forth in the applicable award agreement but (other than in the case of substitute awards)
the exercise price may not be less than the fair market value of a share of common stock on the grant date. The term of each option or
SAR is determined by the committee and set forth in the applicable award agreement, except that the term may not exceed 10 years. Options
may be exercised by payment of the purchase price through one or more of the following means: payment in cash (including personal check
or wire transfer), by delivering shares of the common stock previously owned by the grantee, or with the approval of the committee, by
delivery of shares of common stock acquired upon the exercise of such option or by delivering restricted shares. The committee may also
permit a grantee to pay the exercise price of an option through the sale of shares acquired upon exercise of the option through a broker-dealer
to whom the grantee has delivered irrevocable instructions to deliver sales proceeds sufficient to pay the purchase price and any applicable
tax withholding amounts to the Company.
19
Restricted Shares
The committee may award restricted shares consisting of shares of common
stock which remain subject to a risk of forfeiture and may not be disposed of by grantees until certain restrictions established by the
committee lapse. The vesting conditions may be service-based (i.e., requiring continuous service for a specified period) or performance-based
(i.e., requiring achievement of certain specified performance objectives) or both. A grantee receiving restricted shares will have all
of the rights of a stockholder, including the right to vote the shares and the right to receive any dividends, except as otherwise provided
in the applicable award agreement. Upon termination of the grantees affiliation with the Company during the restriction period
(or, if applicable, upon the failure to satisfy the specified performance objectives during the restriction period), the restricted shares
will be forfeited as provided in the applicable award agreement. Stock dividends and deferred cash dividends issued with respect to restricted
shares will be subject to the same restrictions and other terms as apply to the restricted shares with respect to which such dividends
are issued.
Deferred Stock and Restricted Stock Units
The committee may also grant deferred stock awards and/or restricted
stock unit awards. A deferred stock award is the grant of a right to receive a specified number of shares of common stock at the end of
specified deferral periods or upon the occurrence of a specified event, which satisfies the requirements of Section 409A of the Code.
A restricted stock unit award is the grant of a right to receive a specified number of shares of common stock upon lapse of a specified
forfeiture condition (such as completion of a specified period of service or achievement of certain specified performance objectives).
If the service condition and/or specified performance objectives are not satisfied during the restriction period, the award will lapse
without the issuance of the shares underlying such award.
Restricted stock units and deferred stock awards carry no voting or
other rights associated with stock ownership until the shares underlying the award are delivered in settlement of the award. Unless otherwise
determined by the Committee, a grantee will have the rights to receive dividend equivalents in respect of deferred stock and/or restricted
stock units, which dividend equivalents will be deemed reinvested in additional shares of deferred stock or restricted stock units, as
applicable, and which will remain subject to the same forfeiture conditions applicable to the deferred stock or restricted stock units
to which such dividend equivalents relate.
Performance Units
The committee may grant performance units, which entitle a grantee
to cash or shares conditioned upon the fulfillment of certain performance conditions and other restrictions as specified by the committee
and reflected in the applicable award agreement. The initial value of a performance unit will be determined by the committee at the time
of grant. The committee will determine the terms and conditions of such awards, including performance and other restrictions placed on
these awards, which will be reflected in the applicable award agreement.
Performance Shares
The committee may grant performance shares, which entitle a grantee
to a certain number of shares of common stock, conditioned upon the fulfillment of certain performance conditions and other restrictions
as specified by the committee and reflected in the applicable award agreement. The committee will determine the terms and conditions of
such awards, including performance and other restrictions placed on these awards, which will be reflected in the applicable award agreement.
Bonus Shares
The committee may grant fully vested shares of common stock as bonus
shares in recognition of past performance or as an inducement to become an employee, non-employee consultant or director on such terms
and conditions as specified in the applicable award agreement.
20
Dividend Equivalents
The committee is authorized to grant dividend equivalents, which provide
a grantee the right to receive payment equal to the dividends paid on a specified number of shares of common stock. Dividend equivalents
may be paid directly to grantees or may be deferred for later delivery under the Plan. No dividend equivalents may be granted with respect
to options or SARs. If deferred such dividend equivalents may be credited with interest or may be deemed to be invested in shares of common
stock or in other property. Any dividend equivalents granted in conjunction with any award that is subject to forfeiture conditions will
remain subject to the same forfeiture conditions applicable to the award to which such dividend equivalents relate.
Other Stock-Based Awards
The Plan authorizes the committee to grant awards that are valued in
whole or in part by reference to or otherwise based on the Companys securities. The committee determines the terms and conditions
of such awards, including whether awards are paid in shares or cash.
Merger, Consolidation or Similar Corporate Transaction
If there is a merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another
corporation or a sale of substantially all of the Companys stock, or, collectively, a Corporate Transaction, and the outstanding
awards are not assumed by surviving company (or its parent company) or replaced with economically equivalent awards granted by the surviving
company (or its parent company), the committee will cancel any outstanding awards that are not vested and non-forfeitable as of the consummation
of such Corporate Transaction (unless the committee accelerates the vesting of any such awards) and with respect to any vested and non-forfeitable
awards, the committee may either (i) allow all grantees to exercise options and SARs within a reasonable period prior to the consummation
of the Corporate Transaction and cancel any outstanding options or SARs that remain unexercised upon consummation of the Corporate Transaction,
or (ii) cancel any or all of such outstanding awards (including options and SARs) in exchange for a payment (in cash, or in securities
or other property) in an amount equal to the amount that the grantee would have received (net of the exercise price with respect to any
options or SARs) if the vested awards were settled or distributed or such vested options and SARs were exercised immediately prior to
the consummation of the Corporate Transaction. If an exercise price of the option or SAR exceeds the fair market value of common stock
and the option or SAR is not assumed or replaced by the surviving company (or its parent company), such options and SARs will be cancelled
without any payment to the grantee.
Further Amendments to the Plan
The Plan may be amended, altered, suspended, discontinued or terminated
by the Board without further stockholder approval, unless such approval of an amendment or alteration is required by law or regulation
or under the rules of any stock exchange or automated quotation system on which the common stock is then listed or quoted. Thus, stockholder
approval will not necessarily be required for amendments which might increase the cost of the Plan or broaden eligibility. Stockholder
approval will not be deemed to be required under laws or regulations that condition favorable treatment of grantees on such approval,
although the Board may, in its discretion, seek stockholder approval in any circumstance in which it deems such approval advisable.
The terms of any outstanding option or stock appreciation right may
not be amended: (i) to reduce the exercise price of such option or stock appreciation right, or (ii) cancel any outstanding option or
stock appreciation right in exchange for other options or stock appreciation rights with an exercise price that is less than the exercise
price of the cancelled option or stock appreciation right or for any cash payment (or shares having a fair market value) in an amount
that exceeds the excess of the fair market value of the shares underlying such cancelled option or stock appreciation right over the aggregate
exercise price of such option or stock appreciation right or for any other award, or (iii) take any other action with respect to an option
or stock appreciation right that would be treated as a repricing under the rules and regulations on the principal securities exchange
on which the shares are traded, in each case without stockholder approval. The foregoing restrictions will not apply (i) unless the Company
has a class of stock that is registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act or (ii) to any adjustment allowed under the provisions of
the Plan relating to adjustments for changes in capitalization, corporate transactions, or a liquidation or dissolution.
21
In addition, subject to the terms of the Plan, no amendment or termination
of the Plan may materially and adversely affect the right of a grantee without the consent of the grantee under any award granted under
the Plan.
Unless earlier terminated by the Board, the Plan will terminate when
no shares remain reserved and available for issuance or, if earlier, on the tenth anniversary of the most recent effective date of the
Plan.
Federal Income Tax Consequences
The following discussion summarizes the certain Federal income tax
consequences of the Plan based on current provisions of the Code, which are subject to change. This summary is not intended to be exhaustive
and does not address all matters which may be relevant to a particular grantee based on his or her specific circumstances. The summary
expressly does not discuss the income tax laws of any state, municipality, or non-U.S. taxing jurisdiction, or the gift, estate, excise
(including the rules applicable to deferred compensation under Code Section 409A or golden parachute excise taxes under Code Section 4999),
or other tax laws other than federal income tax law. The following is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the
purposes of avoiding taxpayer penalties. Because individual circumstances may vary, the Company advises all grantees to consult their
own tax advisors concerning the tax implications of awards granted under the Plan.
Options
. A recipient of a stock option will not have taxable
income upon the grant of the stock option. For stock options that are not incentive stock options, the grantee will recognize ordinary
income upon exercise in an amount equal to the value of any cash received, plus the difference between the fair market value of the freely
transferable and non-forfeitable shares received by the grantee on the date of exercise and the exercise price. The grantees tax
basis in such shares will be the fair market value of such shares on the date the option is exercised. Any gain or loss recognized upon
any later disposition of the shares generally will be a long-term or short-term capital gain or loss.
The acquisition of shares upon exercise of an incentive stock option
will not result in any taxable income to the grantee, except, possibly, for purposes of the alternative minimum tax. The gain or loss
recognized by the grantee on a later sale or other disposition of such shares will either be long-term capital gain or loss or ordinary
income, depending upon whether the grantee holds the shares for the legally-required period (currently two years from the date of grant
and one year from the date of exercise). If the shares are not held for the legally-required period, the grantee will recognize ordinary
income equal to the lesser of (i) the difference between the fair market value of the shares on the date of exercise and the exercise
price, or (ii) the difference between the sales price and the exercise price. If the grantee holds the shares for the legally required
holding period, the grantees tax basis in such shares will be the exercise price paid for the shares.
Generally, a company can claim a federal income tax deduction equal
to the amount recognized as ordinary income by a grantee in connection with the exercise of a stock option, but not relating to a grantees
capital gains. Accordingly, the Company will not be entitled to any tax deduction with respect to an incentive stock option if the grantee
holds the shares for the legally-required period.
Restricted Shares.
Unless a grantee makes the election
described below, a grant of restricted shares will not result in taxable income to the grantee or a deduction for the Company in the year
of grant. The value of such restricted shares will be taxable to a grantee as ordinary income in the year in which the restrictions lapse.
Alternatively, a grantee may elect to treat as income in the year of grant the fair market value of the restricted stock on the date of
grant, provided the grantee makes the election within 30 days after the date of such grant. If such an election were made, the grantee
would not be allowed to deduct at a later date the amount included as taxable income if the grantee should forfeit the shares of restricted
stock. The amount of ordinary income recognized by a grantee is deductible by the Company in the year such income is recognized by the
grantee, provided such amount constitutes reasonable compensation to the grantee. If the election described above is not made, then prior
to the lapse of restrictions, dividends paid on the shares subject to such restrictions will be taxable to the grantee as additional compensation
in the year received, and the Company will be allowed a corresponding deduction.
Other Awards.
Generally, when a grantee receives payment
in settlement of any other award granted under the Plan, the amount of cash and the fair market value of the shares received will be ordinary
income to such grantee, and the Company will be allowed a corresponding deduction for federal income tax purposes.
22
Generally, when a grantee receives payment with respect to dividend
equivalents, the amount of cash and the fair market value of any shares or other property received will be ordinary income to such grantee.
The Company will be entitled to a federal income tax deduction in an amount equal to the amount the grantee includes in income.
If the grantee is an employee or former employee, the amount the grantee
recognizes as ordinary income in connection with an award (other than an incentive stock option) is subject to tax withholding.
Limitations on Deductions.
Code Section 162(m) as amended
by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, limits the Federal income tax deductibility of compensation paid to any covered employee to $1 million per
fiscal year. A covered employee is any individual who (i) is the Companys principal executive officer or principal
financial officer at any time during the then current fiscal year, (ii) is one of the three highest paid named executive officers (other
than the principal executive officer or principal financial officer) during the then current fiscal year or (iii) was a covered employee
in any prior fiscal year beginning after December 31, 2016.
Deferred Compensation.
Under Section 409A of the Code.
Any award that is deemed to be a deferral arrangement (excluding certain exempted short-term deferrals) will be subject to Code Section
409A. Generally, Code Section 409A imposes accelerated inclusion in income and tax penalties on the recipient of deferred compensation
that does not satisfy the requirements of Code Section 409A. Options and restricted shares granted under the Amended and Restated Omnibus
Plan will typically be exempt from Code Section 409A. Other awards may result in the deferral of compensation. Awards under the Plan that
may result in the deferral of compensation are intended to be structured to meet applicable requirements under Code Section 409A. Certain
grantee elections and the timing of distributions relating to such awards must also meet requirements under Code Section 409A in order
for income taxation to be deferred and tax penalties avoided by the grantee upon vesting of the award.
2021 Inducement Equity Incentive Plan
In October 2021, the Company adopted the 2021 Inducement Equity Incentive
Plan effective as of October 15, 2021 which covered the award of up to 1,000,000 shares of common stock at the time (the Inducement
Plan). On October 20, 2021, the Company filed a Form S-8 with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission to register
the 1,000,000 shares issuable pursuant to awards under the Inducement Plan. As of December 31, 2023, a total of 119,952 shares remained
available for future issuance under the Inducement Plan.
Required Vote
The approval of the Amendment requires the
affirmative FOR vote of a majority of the votes cast on the proposal at the annual meeting. You may vote
FOR, AGAINST, or ABSTAIN on this proposal.
Board Recommendation
Our Board recommends a vote FOR the Approval of
the Amendment.
23
PROPOSAL NUMBER 3
In accordance with Section 14A of the Exchange
Act and the related rules of the SEC, the Company is asking its stockholders to vote to approve, on an advisory (non-binding) basis, the
compensation of our named executive officers as disclosed in this proxy statement. This proposal, commonly known as a say-on-pay
proposal, gives our stockholders the opportunity to express their views on the compensation of our named executive officers. This vote
is not intended to address any specific item of compensation, but rather the overall compensation of our named executive officers and
the principles, policies and practices described in this proxy statement. Accordingly, the following advisory resolution is submitted
for stockholder vote at the annual meeting:
RESOLVED, that the stockholders of Arcturus Therapeutics
Holdings Inc. (the Company) approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of the Companys named executive officers
as disclosed in this proxy statement pursuant to the compensation disclosure rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, including
the compensation tables regarding named executive officer compensation and the narrative disclosures that accompany the compensation tables.
Although the say-on-pay vote is
non-binding, the board of directors and the compensation committee will carefully review and consider the voting results when evaluating
our named executive officer compensation program.
Required Vote
The Say on Pay Proposal requires the
affirmative FOR vote of a majority of the votes cast on the proposal at the annual meeting. You may vote
FOR, AGAINST, or ABSTAIN on this proposal.
Board Recommendation
Our Board recommends a vote FOR
the approval of the non-binding advisory resolution approving the Companys Named Executive Officer compensation.
24
PROPOSAL NUMBER 4
Our audit committee has appointed Deloitte as
the independent registered public accounting firm to audit our consolidated financial statements for the year ending December 31, 2024.
Notwithstanding such appointment and even if
our stockholders ratify such appointment, our audit committee, in its discretion, may appoint another independent registered public accounting
firm at any time during the year if it believes that such a change would be in the best interests of Arcturus and its stockholders. Our
audit committee is submitting the appointment of Deloitte to our stockholders because we value our stockholders views on such appointment
and as a matter of good corporate governance. If the appointment is not ratified by our stockholders, our audit committee may consider
appointing another independent registered public accounting firm. A representative of Deloitte is expected to be present virtually at
the annual meeting, and will be available to respond to appropriate questions following the virtual annual meeting, but is not expected
to make a statement.
Change of Independent Public Accounting Firm
On April 5, 2024, the audit committee
authorized the dismissal Ernst Young LLP (EY) as the Companys independent registered public accounting
firm, and EY was dismissed as the Companys independent registered public accounting firm as of such date. EY served as
the Companys independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 and the subsequent
periods through April 5, 2024. EYs report on the Companys consolidated financial statements as of and for the years
ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 did not contain an adverse opinion or disclaimer of opinion, and were not qualified or modified as to
uncertainty, audit scope or accounting principles.
During the Companys two most recent fiscal
years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 and the subsequent interim period through April 5, 2024: (i) there were no disagreements between
the Company and EY on any matters of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure, or auditing scope or procedure,
which disagreements, if not resolved to the satisfaction of EY, would have caused them to make reference to the subject matter of
the disagreements in connection with their opinion on the Companys consolidated financial statements; and (ii) there were no reportable
events (as described in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K).
Effective April 5, 2024, the audit
committee authorized the appointment of Deloitte as the Companys new independent registered public accounting firm for the
fiscal year ending December 31, 2024, and Deloitte was appointed as the Companys independent registered public accounting
firm. The decision to change the Company's principal independent accountants was the result of a competitive process undertaken by
management and the audit committee as well as the Company's focus on reducing its general and administrative expenses. During the
Companys two most recent fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the subsequent interim period through April 5,
2024, neither the Company nor anyone acting on behalf of the Company had consulted Deloitte regarding either: (i) the application of
accounting principles to a specified transaction, either completed or proposed, or the type of audit opinion that might be rendered
on the Companys financial statements, nor did Deloitte provide a written report or oral advice to the Company that Deloitte
concluded was an important factor considered by the Company in reaching a decision as to the accounting, auditing or financial
reporting issues; or (ii) any matter that was either the subject of a disagreement (as defined in Item 304(a)(1)(iv)
of Regulation S-K and the related instructions) or a reportable event (as described in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation
S-K).
Fees Paid to Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The following table sets forth the fees billed
to us and our subsidiaries by EY, an independent registered public accounting firm, which served as our principal accountant for
the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
25
All fees described above were pre-approved by
the audit committee. No fees were paid to Deloitte for accounting services for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.
Auditor Independence
In 2023, there were no other professional services
provided by EY or Deloitte that would have required our audit committee to consider their compatibility with maintaining the independence
of EY or Deloitte.
Pre-Approval Policy
Our audit committee has a pre-approval policy
for the engagement of our independent registered public accounting firm to perform certain audit and non-audit services. Pursuant to this
policy, which is designed to assure that such engagements do not impair the independence of our auditors, the audit committee pre-approves
annually a catalog of specific audit and non-audit services in the categories of audit services, audit-related services and tax services
that may be performed by our independent registered public accounting firm. If a type of service, that is to be provided by our auditors,
has not received such general pre-approval, it will require specific pre-approval by our audit committee. The policy prohibits retention
of the independent registered public accounting firm to perform the prohibited non-audit functions defined in applicable SEC rules.
Required Vote
Ratification of the appointment of
Deloitte as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2024 requires the affirmative
FOR vote of a majority of the votes cast on the proposal at the annual meeting. You may vote FOR,
AGAINST, or ABSTAIN on this proposal.
Board Recommendation
Our Board recommends a vote FOR the ratification
of the appointment of Deloitte as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2024.
Report
of the Audit Committee
The audit committee is a committee of our Board
comprised solely of independent directors as required by the listing standards of Nasdaq and rules and regulations of the SEC. The audit
committee operates under a written charter approved by our Board, which is available on the corporate governance section of our web site
at http://ir.arcturusrx.com/governance-highlights. The audit committee held four meetings in 2023. The meetings of the audit committee
are designed to facilitate and encourage communication among the audit committee, us and our independent auditor. The composition of the
audit committee, the attributes of its members and the responsibilities of the audit committee, as reflected in its charter, are intended
to comply with applicable requirements for corporate audit committees. The audit committee reviews and assesses the adequacy of its charter
and its performance on an annual basis.
26
With respect to our financial reporting process,
our management is responsible for (i) establishing and maintaining internal controls and (ii) preparing our consolidated financial statements.
Arcturus independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for performing an independent audit of Arcturus consolidated
financial statements in accordance with the auditing standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB,
and to issue a report thereon. It is the responsibility of the audit committee to oversee these activities. Specifically, the audit committee
is responsible for the appointment, compensation, and general oversight of the external auditor, as well as fee negotiations with the
external auditor. It is not the responsibility of the audit committee to prepare Arcturus financial statements. These are the fundamental
responsibilities of management. In the performance of its oversight function, the audit committee has:
Based on the audit committees review
of the audited financial statements and the various discussions with management and EY, the audit committee recommended to our Board
that the audited financial statements be included in our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 for filing
with the SEC.
James Barlow
Dr. Edward Holmes
Dr. Magda Marquet
This report of the audit committee shall
not be deemed to be soliciting material or to be filed with the SEC or subject to Regulation 14A promulgated
by the SEC or Section 18 of the Exchange Act, and shall not be deemed incorporated by reference into any prior or subsequent filing by
Arcturus under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), or the Exchange Act, except to the extent Arcturus
specifically requests that the information be treated as soliciting material or specifically incorporates it by reference.
27
EXECUTIVE
OFFICERS
The names of our executive officers, their ages,
their positions with us and other biographical information are set forth below.
Biographical information for Joseph E. Payne
and Andy Sassine is set forth above in the section titled
Board of Directors and Corporate Governance
.
Dr. Padmanabh Chivukula
has served as
our Chief Scientific Officer and Chief Operating Officer since 2013. Dr. Chivukula has an exceptional and technically solid foundation
in nanoparticle technology. From 2008 until February 2013, Dr. Chivukula was employed by Nitto Denko Corporation, where his titles included
Group Leader and Chief Scientist. Dr. Chivukula brings over 15 years of experience in drug delivery and therapeutic drug development,
including leading the polymeric RNAi research department at Nitto. Dr. Chivukula has a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University
of Utah where he specialized in nano particle technology.
Lance Kurata
has served as our Chief
Legal Officer since August 2020. Prior to joining Arcturus, Mr. Kurata was Partner and Chair of West Coast Technology Transactions at
Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, PC. From 2002 to 2006, he was a partner at Fish Richardson, where he was a member
of the corporate group and nationwide head of the technology transactions practice. From 1996 until 2002, Mr. Kurata practiced corporate
law at Brobeck Phleger Harrison, specializing in strategic collaborations, public and private financings, mergers and acquisitions
and corporate governance. Mr. Kurata obtained his B.A. from University of California, Los Angeles and he earned his J.D. from Stanford
Law School.
28
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION
Compensation Discussion and Analysis
Introduction
The Compensation Discussion and Analysis is designed
to provide our stockholders with an understanding of our executive compensation philosophy and decision-making process. It discusses the
principles underlying the structure of the compensation arrangements for our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and our
other two most highly compensated executive officers who were serving as executive officers on December 31, 2023 (the NEOs).
Unless noted otherwise, any reference within the Compensation Discussion and Analysis to decisions made by the board of directors refers
to the decisions made by the independent members of the board of directors only. This Compensation Discussion and Analysis primarily focuses
on the compensation of our NEOs, as identified in the table below.
Our current compensation programs for the NEOs
are determined and approved by our board of directors, acting at the recommendation of the compensation committee. The compensation committee
takes into account Mr. Paynes recommendations regarding the compensation for our executive officers, although Mr. Payne does not
participate in the deliberations or determinations of his own compensation. The other NEOs do not have any role in determining or recommending
the form or amount of compensation paid to any of our executive officers.
Company Performance Highlights
In assessing the appropriate level of compensation
for our executive officers, we take into account the overall performance of the Company against the specific annual corporate objectives
established by the board of directors at the beginning of that year, as well as qualitative considerations related to drug discovery and
development, drug commercialization, and financial activities (including financing).
The biotechnology industry is characterized by
stock price volatility and, as a result, our focus on pay-for-performance is based on an assessment of the level of the Companys
achievement against those specific objectives. For more information, see the section titled Company Performance Objectives
in this proxy statement. In addition to considering the Companys accomplishments and progress each year, we also think it is important
to consider the long-term performance of the executive leadership team. We believe that the skills, creativity and dedication of executive
leadership have led to significant accomplishments from January 2023 through December 2023.
Our vaccines franchise, led by our self-amplifying
mRNA-based COVID-19 program, made significant strides in 2023, highlighted by the marketing authorization approval in Japan of ARCT-154.
The approval is the worlds first for a self-amplifying RNA (sa-mRNA) COVID-19 Vaccine. In August 2023, we successfully completed
the 12-month safety follow-up of the pivotal Phase 1/2/3 study in Vietnam of ARCT-154 that completed dosing in April 2022 of over 19,000
participants. In February 2023, Meiji Seika Pharma Co., Ltd. (Meiji), a Japanese leader in the area of infectious disease,
completed dosing of a Phase 3 clinical trial of ARCT-154 in Japan to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a booster dose of ARCT-154,
and to assess the non-inferiority of ARCT-154 to a licensed mRNA vaccine, administered as a booster. Meiji conducted the study under its
exclusive partnership with CSL Seqirus for distribution of ARCT-154 in Japan. The study enrolled 828 adult participants, with half in
the ARCT-154 group and half in a comparator group (Comirnaty, Pfizer-BioNTech). The results of this study demonstrated that a booster
dose of ARCT-154 elicited a numerically higher immune response (meeting the non-inferiority criteria) against the original Wuhan-Hu-1
virus strain and a superior immune response against Omicron BA.4/5 subvariant of SARS-CoV-2 virus compared to a booster dose of the conventional
mRNA vaccine Comirnaty. These Phase 3 study results were used to support the approval of ARCT-154 in Japan for primary immunization
and as a booster dose.
29
The above accomplishments, milestones and advancements, together with
those achieved by the Company since inception, directly resulted in (1) the development, launch and advancement by the Company of a significant
drug candidate pipeline; (2) non-clinical and clinical development of the Companys LUNAR-COVID program; (3) the development and
launch of an organization and infrastructure designed to execute on the Companys mission of becoming a leading RNA medicines company;
and (4) the establishment of a collaboration that will continue to provided significant economic and clinical benefits, and which we believe
has significant future economic potential based on anticipated royalties and sales. We believe that the compensation programs and awards
to our NEOs should be evaluated within the context of these significant accomplishments and performance over a sustained period of time.
Compensation Program Objectives and Philosophy
In order to continue the execution and growth
of our business as described above, we believe that it is vital that we continue to retain and attract experienced and skilled senior
leadership by offering competitive base compensation and benefits, significant performance-based incentives, and the potential for long-term
equity compensation. Our goal is to structure a meaningful portion of executive compensation such that it will only have value if management
is successful in building significant long-term value for our stockholders.
Our current executive compensation programs are
intended to achieve the following four fundamental goals and objectives: (1) to incentivize and reward sustained long-term performance
by aligning significant elements of executive compensation with our stockholders interests, (2) to attract and retain an experienced,
highly qualified and motivated executive management team to lead our business, (3) to provide economic rewards for achieving high levels
of our performance and individual contribution, and (4) to pay compensation that is competitive, taking into account the experience, skills
and performance of the executives required to build and maintain the organization necessary to support our mission to become a leading
RNA medicines company.
When structuring our executive compensation programs
to achieve our goals and objectives, we are guided by the following philosophies:
CEO Compensation
The Company assesses executive compensation on
an annual basis and makes annual equity grants in December of each year. During 2023 the total compensation reported in the Summary Compensation
table for our CEO was about 12.5% lower than the amount reported in 2022, while our stock price increased by approximately 86% in the
same period.
30
Executive Compensation Practices
Below we provide a summary of our executive compensation
practices, including both the practices that we follow and those that we do not follow, in each case based on whether we believe they
serve the long-term interests of our stockholders.
Core Compensation Principles and Practices
31
Role of Stockholder Say-on-Pay Votes
We provide our stockholders with the opportunity
periodically to cast an advisory vote on our executive compensation program (referred to as a say-on-pay vote). At our annual
meeting of stockholders held in June 2023, approximately 72.4% of the votes cast on the say-on-pay proposal were voted in favor of the
proposal, and a majority of stockholders present at the meeting selected One Year for their preference as to how frequently
we should seek future advisory votes on the compensation of our named executive officers. As a result, we will be seeking an advisory
say-on-pay vote at this years annual meeting of stockholders. After considering the 2023 say-on-pay vote, including the compensation
views expressed by our largest shareholders through regular outreach conducted by management, the compensation committee reaffirmed the
fundamental design and elements of our executive compensation program and did not make any material changes to the structure of our executive
compensation program. The board of directors and compensation committee will continue to consider the outcome of our say-on-pay proposals
and direct stockholder feedback when making future compensation decisions for the NEOs.
Design and Elements of Our Compensation
Program
The material elements of our current executive
compensation programs for NEOs consist primarily of the following:
We review peer group company data regarding the
mix of current and long-term incentive compensation and between cash and non-cash compensation, though we have not adopted any formal
policies or guidelines for allocations among these various compensation elements. However, consistent with our pay for performance philosophy,
we believe that a greater component of overall direct compensation for the NEOs relative to other employees should be performance-based.
Use of Peer Company Data
We periodically review the compensation practices
of our peer group companies identified below, and we consider the following factors: geographical region, company stage of development,
company size and market capitalization.
As a result of the Company having a combination
of multiple drug candidates in diverse therapeutic areas, a mix of wholly-owned and partnered drug candidates, and a technology platform
with the potential to enable multiple drug candidates in future years, it is very challenging to identify truly comparable companies.
The peers from which benchmark compensation information
was reviewed were of similar size and commercial stage. The Companys 2023 compensation decisions were made using data from a 2022
study of similar companies with median 2022 market capitalization that was close to our 2022 market capitalization size at the time at
the time the peers were chosen. Most peer companies reviewed in 2023 were drug development and vaccine companies.
The outside compensation committee, F.W. Cook,
facilitated determination of the composition of our 2022 peer group used as market context 2023 compensation decisions, and our market
capitalization was approximately $416 million when the 2022 peer group compensation data were originally reviewed, which placed our size
near the median of the peer group at the time of approximately $572 million. The 2022 peer group of companies reviewed as context when
determining 2023 compensation decisions consisted of the following companies:
32
AnaptysBio
Arbutus BioPharma
Cytokinetics
Editas
Epizyme
Geron
Heron Therapeutics
Inovio Pharmaceuticals
Kura Oncology
RegenXBio
Sangamo
Sorrento Therapeutics
Sutro BioPharma
Travere Therapeutics
Vaxart
Viking Therapeutics
WaVe Life Sci
Although we reviewed and discussed the compensation
data for the peer group companies to help inform executive compensation decisions, we do not set compensation at any specific level or
percentile based solely on the peer group data. The peer group data is used by us as only one reference point taken into account in making
compensation decisions. We do not use peer group or industry survey data as a standalone tool for setting compensation due to the unique
aspects of our business and the need to attract and retain particular highly qualified executives with unique experience, skills and other
individual facts and circumstances. However, we generally believe that reviewing and analyzing this information is an important component
of our executive compensation decision-making process.
Base Salary
Base salary provides NEOs with a specified minimum
level of cash compensation, which we believe is important to attract and retain their services. We determine base salary by considering
competitive pay practices, cost of labor and compensation trends, individual performance and promotions, level and scope of responsibility,
experience, internal pay equity, and our commercial stage. We do not use a formula or assign a particular weight to any one factor and
the determination of base salary levels is subjective.
Salary increases reflected the rapid maturation
of the Company, as well as industry conditions. The CEO was provided an 11% increase to reflect pending product commercialization during
2023.The base salary earned by each NEO during 2023 is reported below in the Summary Compensation Table.
Base salary increases in 2022 for 2023 were as
follows:
2022 Salary
($)
2023 Salary
($)
In December 2023, we reviewed the base salaries of the NEOs and increased
them by a minimum of 5% for 2024 in recognition of continued commercialization progress.
33
Short-Term Incentive Compensation
Incentive Compensation Policy.
We believe
that our short-term incentive compensation program (Incentive Compensation Policy) for the NEOs rewards the achievement
of important short-term objectives that advance us toward our long-term strategic objectives. Our Incentive Compensation Policy applies
to all executive officers. Consistent with our compensation philosophy of paying for performance and maintaining a flexible approach,
we use the Incentive Compensation Policy to incentivize the NEOs to achieve important corporate goals while at the same time encouraging
and rewarding excellent individual performance by recognizing and rewarding differences in performance between individual executives.
Plan Design.
The board of directors
establishes important annual corporate goals each year that include clinical development, research, manufacturing, organizational and
financial goals which we believe are essential to building long-term stockholder value and are used to assess annual corporate performance.
The corporate objectives are not weighted formally nor were they formally tied to a cash bonus plan in 2023, so there is a degree of qualitative
judgment in the final score. At the end of 2023, the progress against the corporate objectives and against unexpected areas of opportunity,
specifically the progress toward development of a vaccine for COVID-19, were considered when determining executive bonuses.
After 2023 corporate performance was determined,
the individual performance and future contribution of NEOs was reviewed by the compensation committee in consultation with Mr. Payne (other
than his own performance). Mr. Paynes individual performance is separately reviewed by the compensation committee.
Target Annual Short-Term Incentive Compensation
for 2023.
The NEOs were each assigned a target annual incentive for 2023 ranging from 40% to 60% of base salary. The table below shows
the target annual incentive assigned by us to each NEO for 2023 both as a dollar amount and as a percentage of base salary.
Target
Annual
Incentive for
2023
($)
Target
Annual
Incentive for
2023
(% of Base
Salary)
Company Performance Objectives
.
The Companys 2023 corporate objectives were as follows:
34
Actual Annual Incentives Earned for 2023
The board of directors also recognized certain accomplishments directly
related to management efforts including those listed above in
Company Performance Highlights
. In particular, the Committee considered
the rapid progress towards development of a next-generation COVID-19 vaccine using the Companys RNA technology and completion of
valuable non-dilutive funding for such efforts.
The compensation committee, in consultation with Mr. Payne, determined
that the individual contribution of each NEO was critical to the Companys successful 2023 performance. Given the Companys
corporate objectives, bonuses for 2023 were paid to each of the NEOs as follows: 30% of Mr. Paynes target bonus, 25% of Dr. Chivukulas
target bonus, 25% of Mr. Sassines target bonus, and 20% of Mr. Kuratas target bonus. The amount of each NEOs bonus
for the 2023 fiscal year is reported in the Summary Compensation Table, and all were lower than the bonuses paid in the year prior.
Long-Term Incentive Compensation: Equity Awards
In accordance with our objective of aligning executive compensation
with our stockholders interests, our current long-term incentive program for the NEOs generally consists of an annual award of
equity compensation that is subject to a multi-year vesting or earn-out schedule. We believe that equity compensation is an effective
tool for aligning the interests of our NEOs, who are responsible for driving our success, with the interests of our stockholders. Stock
options are our preferred form of long-term incentive compensation because we believe they are inherently performance-based, with value
delivered only if the price of our common stock appreciates following the grant. The number of options reported as long-term incentive
compensation awards to the NEOs during 2023 was lower than reported in the Summary Compensation Table and the Grants of Plan Based Award
tables of the 2022 proxy statement for all NEOs.
Severance and Change of Control Benefits
If the employment of an NEO is terminated by us
without cause or by the NEO for a designated good reason outside of the context of a change of control transaction, the NEO would be entitled
to severance benefits under his employment agreement with the Company. These severance benefits include a cash severance payment based
on the NEOs then-current base salary and a pro rata amount of his annual incentive bonus, and payment of COBRA premiums. In order
to attract and retain these NEOs in a competitive environment for highly skilled senior executive talent in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical
industry and to provide an incentive to obtain a broad release of claims in favor of the Company, we determined it was beneficial to offer
each of them severance protection in the case of a termination without cause or constructive termination outside the context of a change
of control transaction. These NEOs would also be entitled to certain termination benefits upon a termination of employment because of
death or disability.
In April 2021, after consulting with the compensation
committees independent compensation consultant, the Board adopted a written Severance Policy covering all senior executives of
the Company. Termination and change of control payments under the Severance Policy are without duplication of any severance payments provided
for in an individual employment agreement (such that the higher amount would apply). The primary changes effected by the Severance Policy
are to (i) implement new and more internally equitable amounts for cash severance, (ii) make certain clean-up changes to the severance
provisions in the NEOs employment agreements (the Employment Agreements), and (iii) require non-solicitation and
non-disparagement restrictive covenants as a condition of receiving severance.
Pursuant to the Severance Policy, the NEOs are
entitled to certain severance benefits if their employment is terminated in connection with a change of control. Severance benefits under
the Severance Policy are structured on a double-trigger basis, meaning that the executive must experience a termination
without cause or resign for a specifically defined good reason in connection with the change of control in order for severance benefits
to become payable under the Severance Policy. Like the severance benefits under the Employment Agreements, we believe that these change
of control severance benefits are an important element of a competitive total compensation program. Additionally, we believe that providing
change of control benefits should eliminate, or at least reduce, any reluctance of our NEOs and other key employees covered by the Severance
Policy to diligently consider and pursue potential change of control opportunities that may be in the best interests of our stockholders.
At the same time, by providing change of control benefits only upon the occurrence of an additional triggering event occurring in connection
with the change of control transaction resulting in a job loss, we believe that this Severance Policy helps preserve the value of our
key personnel for any potential acquiror.
35
Under the Severance Policy, the executive would
be entitled to accelerated equity award vesting if their employment is terminated within 18 months of a change of control. The other severance
benefits under the Severance Policy are generally similar to the severance benefits described above, provided that (i) the executive is
also entitled to a lump sum payment in an amount equal to his target annual bonus for the year of termination, (ii) pro-rata target bonus
for the year of termination, and (iii) Company-paid COBRA coverage is extended by several additional months.
The Potential Payments Upon Termination
or Change of Control section below describes and quantifies the severance and other benefits potentially payable to the NEOs.
Other Benefits
We believe that establishing competitive benefit
packages for employees is an important factor in attracting and retaining highly-qualified personnel, including the NEOs. The NEOs are
eligible to participate in all of our employee benefit plans, such as medical, dental, vision, group life, disability insurance, commuting
benefits, employee stock purchase plan and the 401(k) plan, in each case generally on the same basis as other employees. We do not offer
a tax-qualified defined-benefit pension plan or any non-qualified defined benefit retirement plans, nor do we provide material perquisites
to our executives.
Section 162(m) Policy
Generally, Section 162(m) of the Code (Section
162(m)) disallows a federal income tax deduction for public corporations of remuneration in excess of $1 million paid in any fiscal
year to certain specified executive officers. For taxable years beginning before January 1, 2018 (i) these executive officers consisted
of a public corporations chief executive officer and up to three other executive officers (other than the chief financial officer)
whose compensation is required to be disclosed to stockholders under the Exchange Act because they are our most highly-compensated executive
officers and (ii) qualifying performance-based compensation was not subject to this deduction limit if specified requirements
are met.
Pursuant to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017,
which was signed into law on December 22, 2017 (the Tax Act), the remuneration of a public corporations chief financial
officer is also subject to the deduction limit. In addition, subject to certain transition rules (which apply to remuneration provided
pursuant to written binding contracts which were in effect on November 2, 2017 and which are not subsequently modified in any material
respect), for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, the exemption from the deduction limit for performance-based compensation
is no longer available. In addition, under the Tax Act, once an executive becomes a covered employee under Section 162(m),
the individual will continue to be a covered employee as long as he or she remains employed by the company. Consequently,
all remuneration in excess of $1 million paid to a covered executive will not be deductible unless it qualifies for transitional relief
applicable to certain binding, written performance-based compensation arrangements that were in place as November 2, 2017 or transitional
relief for applicable to certain newly public companies. These changes will cause more of our compensation to be non-deductible under
Section 162(m) and will eliminate the Companys ability to structure performance-based awards to be exempt from Section 162(m).
In designing our executive compensation program
and determining the compensation of our executive officers, including our named executive officers, the compensation committee considers
a variety of factors, including the potential impact of the Section 162(m) deduction limit. While the compensation committee is mindful
of the benefit of the full deductibility of compensation, it believes that we should not be constrained by the requirements of Section
162(m) where those requirements would impair our flexibility in compensating our executive officers in a manner that can best promote
our corporate objectives. Therefore, the compensation committee has not adopted a policy that would require that all compensation be deductible,
though it does consider the deductibility of compensation when making compensation decisions. The compensation committee may authorize
compensation payments that are not fully tax deductible if it believes that such payments are appropriate to attract and retain executive
talent or meet other business objectives.
36
Processes and Procedures for Executive Compensation
Our compensation committee assists the Board
in discharging its responsibilities relating to oversight of the compensation of our chief executive officer and our other executive officers,
including reviewing and making recommendations to our Board with respect to the compensation, plans, policies and programs for our chief
executive officer and our other executive officers and administering our equity compensation plans for our executive officers and employees.
Our compensation committee annually reviews
the compensation, plans, policies and programs for our chief executive officer and our other executive officers. In connection therewith,
our compensation committee considers, among other things, each executive officers performance in light of established individual
and corporate goals and objectives and the recommendations of our chief executive officer. In particular, our compensation committee considers
the recommendations of our chief executive officer when reviewing base salary and incentive compensation levels of our executive officers
and when setting specific individual and corporate performance guidelines under our annual executive incentive bonus plan. Our chief executive
officer has no input and is not present during voting or deliberations about his own compensation. Our compensation committee may delegate
its authority to a subcommittee, but it may not delegate any power or authority required by agreement, law, regulation or listing standard
to be exercised by the compensation committee as a whole.
Our nominating and corporate governance committee
has authority to review and recommend to the Board compensation programs for our outside directors, although this role has been predominantly
undertaken by our compensation committee, in consultation with members of our full Board. Management generally does not have a role in
the setting of director compensation. Our nominating and corporate governance committee may delegate its authority to a subcommittee,
but it may not delegate any power or authority required by agreement, law, regulation or listing standard to be exercised by the nominating
and corporate governance committee as a whole.
Summary Compensation Table
Our named executive officers (NEOs)
for the year ended December31, 2023, which consist of all individuals who served as our principal executive officer and principal
financial officer during 2023 and our two other most highly compensated executive officers who were serving as executive officers at the
end of the last completed fiscal year, are Joseph E. Payne, our President and Chief Executive Officer; Dr. Padmanabh Chivukula, our Chief
Scientific Officer and Chief Operating Officer; Andy Sassine, our Chief Financial Officer, and Lance Kurata, our Chief Legal Officer.
37
(1) Bonuses in this column were the cash bonuses
approved by the Board and/or compensation committee of the Board after reviewing completion and progress against the corporate goals for
2023.
(2) Amounts shown in this column do not
reflect take-home or salable value from the options granted, but rather reflects a theoretical present value of the grant opportunity
computed in accordance with FASB ASC 718. The actual economic value that may be realized by the applicable NEO could be quite different
than the amounts shown and is currently not equal to the amounts shown. Includes the value of stock options determined using the grant
date fair value computed in accordance with FASB ASC 718. See Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements of the Company for the fiscal
years ended December 31, 2021, December 31, 2022, and December 31, 2023 in the Form 10-K filed by the Company on March 14, 2024, for additional
description of the assumptions used in the valuation..
2023 GRANTS OF PLAN-BASED AWARDS
The following table provides
certain information regarding the December 2023 options which represent equity awards approved and granted to our named executive officers
during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023. These equity awards were granted under the Amended and Restated 2019 Omnibus Equity Incentive
Plan, as amended.
38
(1) Represents the grant date and approval date fair values of option
awards granted during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023, calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718.
2023 OPTION EXERCISES AND STOCK VESTED
None of the NEOs exercised any options during the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2023. None of the NEOs held any restricted stock awards during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.
Current Agreements With Our Named Executive Officers
The termination and change of control
payments provided for under the employment agreements summarized below are without duplication of any severance payments provided for
under the Companys Severance Policy (such that the higher amount would apply). For a summary of the Severance Policy, see
Severance
and Change of Control Benefits
. The annual base salary amounts and performance bonus targets provided for under the employment
agreements, summarized below, are subject to increase upon approval by the compensation committee of the Board as described elsewhere
in this proxy statement. See Base Salary and Short-Term Incentive Compensation.
Joseph E. Payne
On June 13, 2019, we entered into an Employment
Agreement (the Payne Agreement) with Joseph E. Payne, our President and Chief Executive Officer. The Payne Agreement provides
for the following compensation and benefits to Mr. Payne:
39
Andy Sassine
On June 13, 2019, we entered into an Employment
Agreement (the Sassine Agreement) with Andy Sassine, our Chief Financial Officer. The Sassine Agreement provides for the
following compensation and benefits to Mr. Sassine:
Dr. Padmanabh Chivukula
On June 13, 2019, we entered into an Employment
Agreement (the Chivukula Agreement) with Dr. Padmanabh Chivukula, our Chief Scientific Officer and Chief Operating Officer.
The Chivukula Agreement provides for the following compensation and benefits to Dr. Chivukula:
40
Lance Kurata
On July 10, 2020, we
entered into an Employment Agreement (the Kurata Agreement) with Lance Kurata, our Chief Legal Officer. The Kurata Agreement
provides for the following compensation and benefits to Mr.Kurata:
POTENTIAL PAYMENTS UPON TERMINATION OR CHANGE
IN CONTROL
See
Current Agreements With Our Named
Executive Officers
for a description of the circumstances that would trigger payments or the provision of other benefits to
each of our named executive officers in connection with their termination without cause or resignation for good reason in connection with
a change in control. See
Termination and Change of Control Potential Payments and Benefits Table
for details on the
amounts of such payments.
41
Under the employment agreements with our named
executive officers, good reason constitutes a resignation from employment with the Company in connection with the occurrence
of any of the following without the executives prior written consent: (i) a material reduction in the executives base salary,
unless pursuant to a salary reduction program applicable generally to the Companys senior executives; (ii) a material reduction
in the executives duties (including responsibilities and/or authorities), provided that (A) a change in job position (including
a change in title) shall not be deemed a material reduction in and of itself unless the executives new duties are
materially reduced from the prior duties, and (B) a reduction in duties which results from the hiring of an individual not previously
employed by the Company to serve as its President and/or Chief Executive Officer shall not be deemed a material reduction
(e.g., where an executive undertakes temporary additional responsibilities until a President and/or Chief Executive Officer is appointed);
or (iii) relocation of the executives principal place of employment to a place that increases the executives one-way commute
by more than 50 miles as compared to the executives then-current principal place of employment immediately prior to such relocation.
In order for an executive to resign for good reason,
each of the following requirements must be met: (i) the executive must provide written notice to the Board within 30 days after the first
occurrence of the event giving rise to good reason setting forth the basis for the executives resignation, (ii) the executive must
allow the Company at least 30 days from receipt of such written notice to cure such event, (iii) such event is not reasonably cured by
the Company within such 30 day period (the Cure Period), and (iv) the executive must resign from all positions the executive
then holds with the Company not later than 30 days after the expiration of the Cure Period.
Effective May 1, 2021, the Board adopted a written
Severance Policy covering all senior executives of the Company. Termination and change of control payments under the Severance Policy
will not duplicate any severance payments provided for in an individual employment agreement (such that the higher amount would apply).
For a summary of the Severance Policy, see Severance and Change of Control Benefits. Pursuant to the Severance Policy, in
order to receive any payments upon a termination or change of control, our named executive officers must execute a general release of
all known and unknown claims, as drafted in the Companys discretion, in a severance agreement acceptable to the Company within
the applicable deadline set forth therein, but in no event later than twenty-one days following the executives termination date,
and permit the release to become effective and irrevocable in accordance with its terms.
Options granted to our officers and certain of
our directors may contain acceleration provisions upon certain merger, acquisition, or change of control transactions. If the relationship
between us and an executive officer or a director is terminated, except for cause (as defined in the various option plan agreements),
options that are vested will generally remain exercisable for ninety days or thirty-six months after such termination depending on whether
the options were granted to an executive officer or director. Generally, any benefits conferred on an executive officer as a result of
a change of control require such officer to execute a signed and dated general release of known and unknown claims in a termination agreement
acceptable to the Company.
TERMINATION AND CHANGE OF CONTROL POTENTIAL PAYMENTS AND BENEFITS
TABLE
The amounts disclosed in the table below are based
on the payments and benefit costs that would have been incurred by the Company if the named executive officer's employment had terminated
as of the last business day of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023. The amounts included below do not include payments and benefits
to the extent they are provided on a non-discriminatory basis to salaried employees generally upon termination of employment. Where applicable,
the value of one of our shares of common stock on December 31, 2023 was $32.97, which was the closing market price of our common stock
on the Nasdaq on such date.
42
Involuntary Termination without Cause or Resignation for Good Reason
(1)
($)
Accelerated
($)
(1) See above in
Potential Payments
Upon Termination or Change in Control
for the definition of good reason under the employment agreements with our
NEOs.
(2) Under the Severance Policy, the NEOs are entitled
to accelerated equity award vesting if their employment is terminated or they resign for good reason within 18 months of a change of control.
(3) For Cash Severance, amount represents the
payment of an amount equal to 12 months of the employees annual base salary, as well as (i) for involuntary termination without
cause or resignation for good reason not in connection with a change of control, a lump sum payment of the pro rata portion of the executives
annual bonus for the year of termination or resignation based actual performance (a Performance Bonus), and (ii) for involuntary
termination without cause or resignation with good reason in connection with a change of control, a Performance Bonus and a lump sum payment
in an amount equal to the executives target annual bonus for the year of termination or resignation (a Target Bonus).
43
For Health and Welfare, amount represents the
estimated value of providing the employee and their dependents with health benefits for 12 months following the date of termination or
resignation for good reason. This amount is calculated based on the current market rate of COBRA premiums in California.
(4) For Cash Severance, amount represents the
payment of an amount equal to 18 months of the employees annual base salary, as well as (i) for involuntary termination without
cause or resignation for good reason not in connection with a change of control, a Performance Bonus, and (ii) for involuntary termination
without cause or resignation with good reason in connection with a change of control, a Performance Bonus and a Target Bonus.
For Health and Welfare, amount represents the
estimated value of providing the employee and their dependents with health benefits for 18 months following the date of termination or
resignation for good reason. This amount is calculated based on the current market rate of COBRA premiums in California.
(5) For Equity Treatment, amount represents the
estimated value of accelerated vesting of stock options subject to outstanding stock options upon a termination or resignation for good
reason prior to December 31, 2023.
CEO PAY RATIO
For 2023, Mr. Paynes
total annual compensation as disclosed in the Summary Compensation Table was $4,892,500, and the total annual compensation for our median
employee was $332,000, resulting in a pay ratio of 14.7 (the Pay Ratio).
To identify the median employee and calculate
the annual total compensation of the median-paid employee, we determined (i) the total number of part-time and full-time individuals employed
at any point during fiscal year 2023, and (ii) the sum of the salary, bonus, and share-based compensation incurred for each employee.
We believe the pay ratio reported above is a reasonable
estimate calculated in a manner consistent with SEC rules based on our internal records and the methodology described above. Because the
SEC rules for identifying the median compensated employee and calculating pay ratio allow companies to adopt a variety of methodologies,
apply certain exclusions, and make reasonable estimates and assumptions that reflect their employee populations and compensation practices,
our pay ratio may not be comparable to the pay ratios reported by other companies.
Results
The table below shows the information used for
the calculation of the ratio of the estimated annual total compensation of the median employee identified using the methodology described
above to the annual total compensation of Mr. Payne as calculated for the Summary Compensation Table.
44
Pay Versus Performance Disclosure
In accordance with rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission
pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, we provide the following disclosure regarding executive
compensation for our principal executive officer (PEO) and Non-PEO NEOs and Company performance for the fiscal years listed
below. For the most recently completed fiscal year, we did not use any financial performance measure to link Compensation Actually Paid
to our NEOs to the Companys performance; accordingly, this disclosure does not present a company-selected measure in the table
below nor a tabular list of our most important performance measures, as permitted under the rules promulgated by the Securities and Exchange
Commission. The Compensation Committee did not consider the pay versus performance disclosure below in making its pay decisions for any
of the years shown.
4,892,500
8,797,727
9,794,227
4,215,616
45
The amounts in the Inclusion of Equity Values in the tables above are
derived from the amounts set forth in the following tables:
4,736,522
714,192
Description of Relationship Between PEO and Non-PEO NEO Compensation
Actually Paid and Company Total Shareholder Return (TSR)
The following chart sets forth the relationship between Compensation
Actually Paid to our PEO, the average of Compensation Actually Paid to our Non-PEO NEOs, and the Companys cumulative TSR over the
three most recently completed fiscal years.
Description of Relationship
Between PEO
and Non-PEO NEO Compensation
Actually Paid and Net Income
The following chart sets forth the relationship between Compensation
Actually Paid to our PEO, the average of Compensation Actually Paid to our Non-PEO NEOs, and our Net Income during the three most recently
completed fiscal years.
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
for Fiscal 2023
The following table sets forth certain information regarding all outstanding
equity awards held by our named executive officers as of December 31, 2023. None of the outstanding equity awards shown in the table below
have been exercised or forfeited as of December 31, 2023. None of our named executive officers held any other equity awards from the Company
as of December 31, 2023.
46
(1) The option award vests 25% on the one-year anniversary
of the date of grant, with the remainder vesting in 36 successive equal monthly increments thereafter.
Pension Benefits
None of our named executive officers participate
in or have account balances in qualified or non-qualified defined benefit plans sponsored by us.
Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation
None of our named executive officers participate
in or have account balances in qualified or non-qualified defined contribution plans or other non-qualified compensation plans sponsored
by us.
47
Perquisites, Health, Welfare and Retirement Benefits
Our named executive officers are eligible to
participate in our employee benefit plans, including our medical, dental, vision, group life, disability and accidental death and dismemberment
insurance plans, in each case on the same basis as all of our other employees. We provide a 401(k) savings plan to our employees, including
our current named executive officers, as discussed in the section below entitled
401(k) Plan
.
We generally do not provide perquisites or personal
benefits to our named executive officers, except in limited circumstances and as noted in the Summary Compensation Table above. Our Board
may elect to adopt qualified or non-qualified benefit plans in the future if it determines that doing so is in our best interests.
401(k) Plan
We maintain a tax-qualified retirement plan
that provides eligible employees, including named executive officers, with an opportunity to save for retirement on a tax advantaged basis.
All participants interests in their deferrals are 100% vested when contributed. Pre-tax and after-tax contributions are allocated
to each participants individual account and are then invested in selected investment alternatives according to the participants
directions. Currently, we match $0.50 for every $1.00 on the first $5,000.00 of contributions made by the employee with an annual maximum
match of $2,500. The 401(k) plan is intended to qualify under Sections 401(a) and 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. As a tax-qualified
retirement plan, contributions to the 401(k) plan and earnings on those contributions are not taxable to the employees until distributed
from the 401(k) plan, and all matching contributions, if any, are deductible by us when made.
2021 Inducement Equity Incentive Plan
In October 2021, the Company adopted the 2021
Inducement Equity Incentive Plan which covered the award of up to 1,000,000 shares of common stock (the 2021 Inducement Plan)
effective as of October 15, 2021. Only newly-hired employees are eligible to receive awards under the 2021 Inducement Plan. Approval of
the Companys stockholders is not required as a condition to the effectiveness of the 2021 Plan for so long as the plan is in compliance
with Nasdaq inducement plan rules. On October 20, 2021, the Company filed a registration statement on Form S-8 with the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission to register 1,000,000 awards. In April 2022, the number of shares available for grant under the 2021
Inducement Plan was reduced to 130,000. As of December 31, 2023, a total of 119,952 shares remained available for future issuance under
the 2021 Inducement Plan, subject to the terms of the 2021 Inducement Plan.
Equity Compensation Plans
On June 21, 2022, the stockholders
of the Company approved the 2019 Plan Amendment, amending the 2019 Plan. The 2019 Plan Amendment (i) increases the maximum
number of shares of common stock available to 2019 Plan participants by 3,750,000 shares and (ii) increases the fair market value of cash
or share awards a non-employee director may be granted in a calendar year under the 2019 Plan together with any awards granted outside
of the 2019 Plan from $500,000 to $2,000,000 for newly-appointed directors, any lead independent director and any non-employee chair,
or $1,000,000 for each other non-employee director.
The following information is provided as of December
31, 2023 with respect to our equity compensation plans:
Equity compensation plans not approved by security
holders
Compensation Committee Report
The compensation committee has reviewed and
discussed the foregoing
Executive Compensation
section of this proxy statement, including the
Compensation
Discussion and Analysis
, with management. Based on this review and discussion, the compensation committee recommended to our
Board that such information be included in this proxy statement.
Dr. Magda Marquet
James Barlow
Dr. Jing L. Marantz
The information contained in the Compensation
Committee Report shall not be deemed to be soliciting material or to be filed with the SEC, nor shall such information be incorporated
by reference into any future filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, except to the extent that Arcturus specifically incorporates
it by reference in such filing.
48
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Related Party Transactions Policy and
Procedures
We have adopted a policy with respect to the review,
approval, and ratification of related party transactions. Under the policy, the Audit Committee is responsible for the identification,
review, consideration and approval or ratification of related person transactions. A related person includes directors, executive officers,
beneficial owners of 5% or more of any class of our voting securities, immediate family members of any of the foregoing persons, and any
entities in which any of the foregoing is an executive officer or is an owner of 5% or more ownership interest.
If a transaction has been identified as a related
person transaction, including any transaction that was not a related person transaction when originally consummated or any transaction
that was not initially identified as a related person transaction prior to consummation, information regarding the related person transaction
must be reviewed and approved by the audit committee
In considering related person transactions, our
audit committee takes into account the relevant available facts and circumstances including, but not limited to:
In determining whether to approve, ratify or reject
a related person transaction, the audit committee reviews all relevant information available to it about such transaction, and it may
approve or ratify the related person transaction only if it determines that, under all of the circumstances, the transaction is in, or
is not inconsistent with, the best interests of the Company.
There have been no transactions during the year ended December 31,
2023 involving an amount in excess of $120,000 to which the Company has been a participant and in which any of its directors, executive
officers or holders of more than 5% of its share capital, or any members of their immediate family, had or will have a direct or indirect
material interest, other than compensation arrangements which are described under Executive Compensation and Director
Compensation.
49
SECURITY
OWNERSHIP
The following table sets forth information with respect to the beneficial
ownership of our common stock as of April 15, 2024 by:
The beneficial ownership
of shares of common stock is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC and generally includes any shares of common stock over
which a person exercises sole or shared voting or investment power, or the right to receive the economic benefit of ownership. For purposes
of the table below, we deem shares subject to options or warrants that are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of April
15, 2024, to be outstanding and to be beneficially owned by the person holding the options or warrants for the purposes of computing the
percentage ownership of that person, but we do not treat them as outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of
any other person. The percentage of shares beneficially owned is based on 26,920,725 shares of common stock outstanding as of April 15,
2024.
The following table sets forth information regarding
the beneficial ownership by each person or entity known to beneficially own more than 5% of our common stock as of April 15, 2024. Except
as indicated in footnotes to this table, we believe that the stockholders named in this table have sole voting and investment power with
respect to all shares shown to be beneficially owned by them, based on information provided to us by such stockholders. Unless otherwise
noted below, each beneficial owners address is: c/o Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc., 10628 Science Center Drive, Suite 250,
San Diego, California, 92121.
Shares of Common Stock Beneficially Owned
50
OTHER
MATTERS
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our
executive officers and directors, and persons who own more than 10% of a registered class of our equity securities, to file reports of
ownership and changes of ownership on Forms 3, 4 and 5 with the SEC. Such directors, executive officers and 10% stockholders are required
by SEC regulations to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file.
Based solely on our review of the copies of
such forms we have received and written representations from certain reporting persons that they filed all required reports, we believe
that all of our officers, directors and 10% stockholders complied with all Section 16(a) filing requirements applicable to them with respect
to transactions during 2023.
Fiscal Year 2023 Annual Report
Our financial statements for our fiscal year
ended December 31, 2023 are included in our 2023 annual report, which we will make available to stockholders at the same time as this
proxy statement. This proxy statement and our 2023 annual report are posted on our website at http://www.arcturusrx.com at the website
of the SEC at www.sec.gov.
You may also obtain a copy of our 2023 annual report without charge by sending a written request to us at
Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc., 10628 Science Center Drive, Suite 250, San Diego, California 92121, Attention: Investor Relations.
Company Website
We maintain a website at http://www.arcturusrx.com.
Information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not intended to be incorporated by reference into this proxy
statement.
51
PROPOSALS
OF STOCKHOLDERS FOR 2025 ANNUAL MEETING
Stockholder Proposals for Inclusion in Proxy Statement
Stockholders may present proper proposals for
inclusion in our proxy statement and for consideration at the next annual meeting of stockholders by submitting their proposals in writing
to our corporate secretary in a timely manner. For a stockholder proposal to be considered for inclusion in our proxy statement for our
next annual meeting of stockholders, our corporate secretary must receive the written proposal at our principal executive offices not
later than the close of business on December 30, 2024. In addition, stockholder proposals must comply with the requirements of Rule
14a-8 under the Exchange Act regarding the inclusion of stockholder proposals in company-sponsored proxy materials. Proposals should be
addressed to:
Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc.
Stockholder Proposals and Director Nominations Not for Inclusion
in Proxy Statement
Our bylaws also establish an advance notice
procedure for stockholders who wish to (i) present a proposal before an annual meeting of stockholders, but do not intend for the proposal
to be included in our proxy statement or (ii) nominate directors for election at an annual meeting of stockholders. In addition to satisfying
all the requirements under the Companys bylaws, to comply with the SECs new universal proxy rules for the Companys
2024 annual meeting, stockholders who intend to solicit proxies in support of director nominees other than the Companys nominees
must provide notice that sets forth all of the information required by Rule 14a-19 under the Exchange Act, the stockholder must have given
timely notice of such proposal or nomination, in proper written form. If the stockholder does not also comply with the requirements of
Rule 14a-4(c)(2) under the Exchange Act, we may exercise discretionary voting authority under proxies that we solicit to vote in accordance
with our best judgment on any such stockholder proposal or nomination. To make a submission or to request a copy of our amended and restated
bylaws, stockholders should contact our Corporate Secretary. To be timely for our 2025 annual meeting of stockholders, a stockholders
notice of a matter that the stockholder wishes to present, or the person or persons the stockholder wishes to nominate as a director,
must be delivered to the corporate secretary at Arcturus principal executive offices not less than 45 days and not more than 75
days prior to the first anniversary of the date of the mailing of the materials for the preceding years annual meeting of stockholders.
As a result, any written notice given by a stockholder pursuant to these provisions of our bylaws must be received by our corporate secretary
at our principal executive offices:
In the event that we hold our 2025 annual meeting
of stockholders more than 30 days before or more than 30 days after the one-year anniversary date of the 2024 annual meeting, then such
written notice must be received no later than the close of business on the later of the following two dates:
To be in proper written form, a stockholders
notice must include the specified information concerning the proposal or nominee as described in our bylaws. Notices should be addressed
to:
Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc.
52
For additional information regarding stockholder
recommendations for director candidates, please see the section entitled Requirements for Stockholder Recommendations of a Candidate
to our Board.
*********
We know of no other matters to be submitted
at the 2024 annual meeting. If any other matters properly come before the 2024 annual meeting, it is the intention of the persons named
in the proxy to vote the shares they represent as the Board may recommend. Discretionary authority with respect to such other matters
is granted by a properly submitted proxy.
It is important that your shares be represented
at the 2024 annual meeting, regardless of the number of shares that you hold. You are, therefore, urged to vote as promptly as possible
to ensure your vote is recorded.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
San Diego, California
53
Appendix A
ARCTURUS THERAPEUTICS HOLDINGS INC.
AMENDED RESTATED 2019 OMNIBUS EQUITY
INCENTIVE PLAN
(Originally Effective June10, 2019; Amended
Restated Effective June 5, 2020; Amended Effective June 21, 2022; Amended Effective [___], 2024)
ARTICLE 1.
EFFECTIVE DATE, OBJECTIVES AND DURATION
1.1
Effective Date of the Plan
. The
Board of Directors of ARCTURUS THERAPEUTICS HOLDINGS INC., a Delaware corporation (the Company), originally adopted the
2019 OMNIBUS EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN, as amended and restated to date (the Plan) effective as of June10, 2019. An amendment
and restatement of the Plan was adopted by the Board on April 26, 2020 and became effective June 5, 2020 upon approval by the Companys
stockholders. An amendment to the amended and restated Plan became effective on June 21, 2022 upon approval by the Companys stockholders.
The most recent amendment of the Plan was adopted by the Board on February 20, 2024 and became effective on [___], upon approval by the
Companys stockholder (the Effective Date).
1.2
Objectives of the Plan
. The Plan
is intended (a)to allow selected employees of and consultants to the Company and its Affiliates to acquire or increase equity ownership
in the Company, thereby strengthening their commitment to the success of the Company and stimulating their efforts on behalf of the Company,
and to assist the Company and its Affiliates in attracting new employees, officers and consultants and retaining existing employees and
consultants, (b)to optimize the profitability and growth of the Company and its Affiliates through incentives which are consistent
with the Companys goals, (d)to provide Grantees with an incentive for excellence in individual performance, (e)to promote
teamwork among employees, consultants andNon-EmployeeDirectors, and (f)to attract and retain highly qualified persons
to serve asNon-EmployeeDirectors and to promote ownership by suchNon-EmployeeDirectors of a greater proprietary
interest in the Company, thereby aligning suchNon-EmployeeDirectors interests more closely with the interests of the
Companys stockholders.
1.3
Duration of the Plan
. The Plan
shall commence on the Effective Date and shall remain in effect, subject to the right of the Board to amend or terminate the Plan at any
time pursuant to Article 15 hereof, until the earlier of the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date, or the date all Shares subject to
the Plan shall have been purchased or acquired and the restrictions on all Restricted Shares granted under the Plan shall have lapsed,
according to the Plans provisions; provided, however, in no event may an Incentive Stock Option be granted more than ten years
after the earlier of (i) the date of the most recent adoption of the Plan by the Board or (ii) the Effective Date.
ARTICLE 2.
DEFINITIONS
Whenever used in the Plan, the following terms
shall have the meanings set forth below:
2.1
Affiliate
means any corporation
or other entity, including but not limited to partnerships, limited liability companies and joint ventures, with respect to which the
Company, directly or indirectly, owns as applicable (a)stock possessing more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting
power of all classes of stock entitled to vote, or more than fifty percent (50%) of the total value of all shares of all classes of stock
of such corporation, or (b)an aggregate of more than fifty percent (50%) of the profits interest or capital interest of anon-corporateentity.
2.2
Award
means Options (includingnon-qualifiedoptions
and Incentive Stock Options), SARs, Restricted Shares, Performance Units (which may be paid in cash), Performance Shares, Deferred Stock,
Restricted Stock Units, Dividend Equivalents, Bonus Shares or Other Stock-Based Awards granted under the Plan.
2.3
Award Agreement
means
either (a)a written agreement entered into by the Company and a Grantee setting forth the terms and provisions applicable to an
Award granted under this Plan, or (b)a written statement issued by the Company to a Grantee describing the terms and provisions
of such Award, including any amendment or modification thereof. The Committee may provide for the use of electronic, internet or othernon-paperAward
Agreements and the use of electronic, internet or othernon-papermeans for the acceptance thereof and actions thereunder by
the Grantee.
2.4
Board
means the Board
of Directors of the Company.
2.5
Bonus Shares
means Shares
that are awarded to a Grantee with or without cost and without restrictions either in recognition of past performance (whether determined
by reference to another employee benefit plan of the Company or otherwise), as an inducement to become an Eligible Person or, with the
consent of the Grantee, as payment in lieu of any cash remuneration otherwise payable to the Grantee.
2.6
Cause
means, except as
otherwise defined in an Award Agreement:
(a) the commission of any act by a Grantee constituting
a felony or crime of moral turpitude (or their equivalent in anon-UnitedStates jurisdiction);
(b) an act of dishonesty, fraud, intentional
misrepresentation, or harassment which, as determined in good faith by the Committee, would: (i)materially adversely affect the
business or the reputation of the Company or any of its Affiliates with their respective current or prospective customers, suppliers,
lenders and/or other third parties with whom such entity does or might do business; or (ii)expose the Company or any of its Affiliates
to a risk of civil or criminal legal damages, liabilities or penalties;
(c) any material misconduct in violation of the
Companys or an Affiliates written policies; or
(d) willful and deliberatenon-performanceof
the Grantees duties in connection with the business affairs of the Company or its Affiliates;
provided, however
, that if the Grantee
has a written employment or consulting agreement with the Company or any of its Affiliates or participates in any severance plan established
by the Company that includes a definition of cause, Cause shall have the meaning set forth in such employment or consulting
agreement or severance plan.
2.7
CEO
means the Chief Executive
Officer of the Company.
2.8
Change in Control
shall
have the meaning set forth in Section16.4(e).
2.9
Code
means the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time. References to a particular section of the Code include references to regulations and
rulings thereunder and to successor provisions.
2.10
Committee
or
Incentive
Plan Committee
has the meaning set forth in Section3.1(a).
2.11
Compensation Committee
means the compensation committee of the Board.
2.12
Common Stock
means the
common stock, $0.001 par value, of the Company.
2.13
Corporate Transaction
shall have the meaning set forth in Section4.2(b).
2.14
Deferred Stock
means
a right, granted under Article 10, to receive Shares at the end of a specified deferral period.
2.15
Disability
or
Disabled
means, unless otherwise defined in an Award Agreement, or as otherwise determined under procedures established by the Committee for purposes
of the Plan:
(a) Except as provided in (b)below, a disability
within the meaning of Section22(e)(3) of the Code; and
(b) In the case of any Award that constitutes
deferred compensation within the meaning of Section409A of the Code, a disability as defined in regulations under Code Section409A.
For purpose of Code Section409A, a Grantee will be considered Disabled if:
(i) the Grantee is unable to engage
in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result
in death or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than twelve (12)months, or
(ii) the Grantee is, by reason of
any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous
period of not less than twelve (12)months, receiving income replacement benefits for a period of not less than three (3)months
under an accident and health plan covering employees of the Grantees employer.
2.16
Dividend Equivalent
means a right to receive payments equal to dividends or property, if and when paid or distributed, on a specified number of Shares.
2.17
Effective Date
has the
meaning set forth in Section1.1.
2.18
Eligible Person
means
any individual who is an employee (including any officer) of, anon-employeeconsultant to, or aNon-EmployeeDirector
of, the Company or any Affiliate; provided, however, that solely with respect to the grant of an Incentive Stock Option, an Eligible Person
shall be any employee (including any officer) of the Company or any Subsidiary Corporation. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an Eligible
Person shall also include an individual who is expected to become an employee to,non-employeeconsultant of orNon-EmployeeDirector
of the Company or any Affiliate within a reasonable period of time after the grant of an Award (other than an Incentive Stock Option);
provided that any Award granted to any such individual shall be automatically terminated and cancelled without consideration if the individual
does not begin performing services for the Company or any Affiliate within twelve (12)months after the Grant Date. Solely for purposes
of Section5.6(b), current or former employees ornon-employeedirectors of, or consultants to, of an Acquired Entity who
receive Substitute Awards in substitution for Acquired Entity Awards shall be considered Eligible Persons under this Plan with respect
to such Substitute Awards.
2.19
Exchange Act
means the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time. References to a particular section of the Exchange Act include references
to successor provisions.
2.20
Exercise Price
means
(a)with respect to an Option, the price at which a Share may be purchased by a Grantee pursuant to such Option or (b)with
respect to an SAR, the price established at the time an SAR is granted pursuant to Article 7, which is used to determine the amount, if
any, of the payment due to a Grantee upon exercise of the SAR.
2.21
Fair Market Value
of
a Share means a price that is based on the opening, closing, actual, high, low, or the arithmetic mean of selling prices of a Share reported
on an established stock exchange which is the principal exchange upon which the Shares are traded on the applicable date or the preceding
trading day. Unless the Committee determines otherwise, if the Shares are traded over the counter at the time a determination of its Fair
Market Value is required to be made hereunder, Fair Market Value shall be deemed to be equal to the arithmetic mean between the reported
high and low or closing bid and asked prices of a Share on the applicable date, or if no such trades were made that day then the most
recent date on which Shares were publicly traded. In the event Shares are not publicly traded at the time a determination of their value
is required to be made hereunder, the determination of their Fair Market Value shall be made by the Committee in such manner as it deems
appropriate provided such manner is consistent with Treasury RegulationSection1.409A-1(b)(5)(iv)(B).
2.22
Grant Date
means the
date on which an Award is granted or such later date as specified in advance by the Committee.
2.23
Grantee
means a person
who has been granted an Award.
2.24
Incentive Stock Option
means an Option that is intended to meet the requirements of Section422 of the Code.
2.25
Including
or
includes
means including, without limitation, or includes, without limitation, respectively.
2.26
Lead Independent Director
means a Non-Employee Director who has been appointed as lead independent director by the Board, in accord with the policies and procedures
of the Company, the Board and the committees thereof.
2.27
Management Committee
has the meaning set forth in Section3.1(b).
2.28
Non-EmployeeDirector
means a member of the Board who is not an employee of the Company or any Affiliate.
2.29
Non-EmployeeDirector Chair
means a Non-Employee Director who has been appointed to act as chair of one or more committees of the Board, in accord with the policies
and procedures of the Company, the Board and the committees thereof.
2.30
Option
means an option
granted under Article 6 of the Plan.
2.31
Other Stock-Based Award
means a right, granted under Article 13 hereof, that relates to or is valued by reference to Shares or other Awards relating to Shares.
2.32
Performance Period
means,
with respect to an Award of Performance Shares or Performance Units, the period of time during which the performance vesting conditions
applicable to such Award must be satisfied.
2.33
Performance Share
and
Performance Unit
have the respective meanings set forth in Article 9.
2.34
Period of Restriction
means the period during which Restricted Shares are subject to forfeiture if the conditions specified in the Award Agreement are not satisfied.
2.35
Person
means any individual,
sole proprietorship, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company, trust, unincorporated organization, association, corporation,
institution, public benefit corporation, entity or government instrumentality, division, agency, body or department.
2.36
Restricted Shares
means
Shares, granted under Article 8, that are both subject to forfeiture and are nontransferable if the Grantee does not satisfy the conditions
specified in the Award Agreement applicable to such Shares.
2.37
Restricted Stock Units
are rights, granted under Article 10, to receive Shares (or cash in lieu thereof) if the Grantee satisfies the conditions specified in
the Award Agreement applicable to such rights.
2.38
Rule16b-3
means
Rule16b-3promulgated by the SEC under the Exchange Act, as amended from time to time, together with any successor rule.
2.39
SEC
means the United
States Securities and Exchange Commission, or any successor thereto.
2.40
Section16Non-EmployeeDirector
means a member of the Board who satisfies the requirements to qualify as anon-employeedirector under Rule16b-3.
2.41
Section16 Person
means a person who is subject to potential liability under Section16(b) of the Exchange Act with respect to transactions involving
equity securities of the Company.
2.42
Separation from Service
means, with respect to any Award that constitutes deferred compensation within the meaning of Code Section409A, a separation
from service as defined in Treasury RegulationSection1.409A-1(h).For this purpose, a separation from service
is deemed to occur on the date that the Company and the Grantee reasonably anticipate that the level of bona fide services the Grantee
would perform for the Company and/or any Affiliates after that date (whether as an employee,Non-EmployeeDirector or consultant
or independent contractor) would permanently decrease to a level that, based on the facts and circumstances, would constitute a separation
from service; provided that a decrease to a level that is 50% or more of the average level of bona fide services provided over the prior
36 months shall not be a separation from service, and a decrease to a level that is 20% or less of the average level of such bona fide
services shall be a separation from service. The Committee retains the right and discretion to specify, and may specify, whether a separation
from service occurs with respect to those individuals who are performing services for the Company or an Affiliate immediately prior to
an asset purchase transaction in which the Company or an Affiliate is the seller and who continue to perform services for the buyer (or
an affiliate thereof) immediately following such asset purchase transaction; provided, such specification is made in accordance with the
requirements of Treasury RegulationSection1.409A-1(h)(4).
2.43
Share
means a share
of Common Stock, and such other securities of the Company, as may be substituted or resubstituted for Shares pursuant to Section4.2
hereof.
2.44
Stock Appreciation Right
or
SAR
means an Award granted under Article 7 of the Plan.
2.45
Subsidiary Corporation
means a corporation other than the Company in an unbroken chain of corporations beginning with the Company if, at the time of granting
the Option, each of the corporations other than the last corporation in the unbroken chain owns stock possessing 50% or more of the total
combined voting power of all classes of stock in one of the other corporations in such chain.
2.46
Surviving Company
means
(a)the surviving corporation in any merger, consolidation or similar transaction, involving the Company (including the Company if
the Company is the surviving corporation), (b) or the direct or indirect parent company of such surviving corporation or (c)the
direct or indirect parent company of the Company following a sale of substantially all of the outstanding stock of the Company.
2.47
Term
of any Option or
SAR means the period beginning on the Grant Date of an Option or SAR and ending on the date such Option or SAR expires, terminates or
is cancelled. No Option or SAR granted under this Plan shall have a Term exceeding 10 years.
2.48
Termination of Affiliation
occurs on the first day on which an individual is for any reason no longer performing services for the Company or any Affiliate in the
capacity of an employee of, anon-employeeconsultant to, or aNon-EmployeeDirector of, the Company or any Affiliate
or with respect to an individual who is an employee of, anon-employeeconsultant to or aNon-EmployeeDirector of
an Affiliate, the first day on which such entity ceases to be an Affiliate of the Company unless such individual continues to perform
Services for the Company or another Affiliate without interruption after such entity ceases to be an Affiliate. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
if an Award constitutes deferred compensation within the meaning of Code Section409A, Termination of Affiliation with respect to
such Award shall mean the Grantees Separation from Service.
ARTICLE 3.
ADMINISTRATION
3.1
Committee
.
(a) Subject to Article 14, and to Section3.2,
the Plan shall be administered by a Committee (the Incentive Plan Committee or the Committee) of directors
of the Company appointed by the Board from time to time. Notwithstanding the foregoing, either the Board or the Compensation Committee
may at any time and in one or more instances reserve administrative powers to itself as the Committee or exercise any of the administrative
powers of the Committee. The number of members of the Committee may from time to time be increased or decreased as the Board or Compensation
Committee deems appropriate. To the extent the Board or Compensation Committee considers it desirable to comply with Rule16b-3,the
Committee shall consist of two or more directors of the Company, all of whom qualify as Section16Non-EmployeeDirectors.
(b) The Board or the Compensation Committee may
appoint and delegate to another committee (Management Committee), or to the CEO, any or all of the authority of the Board
or the Committee, as applicable, with respect to Awards to Grantees other than Grantees who are executive officers,Non-EmployeeDirectors,
or Section16 Persons at the time any such delegated authority is exercised.
(c) Unless the context requires otherwise, any
references herein to Committee include references to the Incentive Plan Committee, the Board or the Compensation Committee
to the extent Incentive Plan Committee, the Board or the Compensation Committee, as applicable, has assumed or exercises administrative
powers itself as the Committee pursuant to subsection (a), and to the Management Committee or the CEO to the extent either has been delegated
authority pursuant to subsection (b), as applicable; provided that (i)for purposes of Awards toNon-EmployeeDirectors,
Committee shall include only the full Board, and (ii)for purposes of Awards intended to comply with Rule16b-3,the
Committee shall include only the Incentive Plan Committee or the Compensation Committee.
3.2
Powers of Committee
. Subject to
and consistent with the provisions of the Plan (including Article 14), the Committee has full and final authority and sole discretion
as follows; provided that any such authority or discretion exercised with respect to a specificNon-EmployeeDirector shall
be approved by the affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the Board, even if not a quorum, but excluding theNon-EmployeeDirector
with respect to whom such authority or discretion is exercised:
(a) to determine when, to whom and in what types
and amounts Awards should be granted;
(b) to grant Awards to Eligible Persons in any
number and to determine the terms and conditions applicable to each Award (including the number of Shares or the amount of cash or other
property to which an Award will relate, any Exercise Price or purchase price, any limitation or restriction, any schedule for or performance
conditions relating to the earning of the Award or the lapse of limitations, forfeiture restrictions, restrictions on exercisability or
transferability, any performance goals including those relating to the Company and/or an Affiliate and/or any division thereof and/or
an individual, and/or vesting based on the passage of time, based in each case on such considerations as the Committee shall determine);
(c) to determine the benefit payable under any
Performance Unit, Performance Share, Dividend Equivalent, Other Stock-Based Award or Cash Incentive Award and to determine whether any
performance or vesting conditions have been satisfied;
(d) to determine whether or not specific Awards
shall be granted in connection with other specific Awards, and if so, whether they shall be exercisable cumulatively with, or alternatively
to, such other specific Awards and all other matters to be determined in connection with an Award;
(e) to determine the Term of any Option or SAR;
(f) to determine the amount, if any, that a Grantee
shall pay for Restricted Shares, whether to permit or require the payment of cash dividends thereon to be deferred and the terms related
thereto, when Restricted Shares (including Restricted Shares acquired upon the exercise of an Option) shall be forfeited and whether such
shares shall be held in escrow;
(g) to determine whether, to what extent and
under what circumstances an Award may be settled in, or the exercise price of an Award may be paid in, cash, Shares, other Awards or other
property, or an Award may be accelerated, vested, canceled, forfeited or surrendered or any terms of the Award may be waived, and to accelerate
the exercisability of, and to accelerate or waive any or all of the terms and conditions applicable to, any Award or any group of Awards
for any reason and at any time;
(h) to determine with respect to Awards granted
to Eligible Persons whether, to what extent and under what circumstances cash, Shares, other Awards, other property and other amounts
payable with respect to an Award will be deferred, either at the election of the Grantee or automatically pursuant to the terms of the
Award Agreement;
(i) to offer to exchange or buy out any previously
granted Award for a payment in cash, Shares or other Award;
(j) to construe and interpret the Plan and to
make all determinations, including factual determinations, necessary or advisable for the administration of the Plan;
(k) to make, amend, suspend, waive and rescind
rules and regulations relating to the Plan;
(l) to appoint such agents as the Committee may
deem necessary or advisable to administer the Plan;
(m) to determine the terms and conditions of
all Award Agreements applicable to Eligible Persons (which need not be identical) and, with the consent of the Grantee, to amend any such
Award Agreement at any time, among other things, to permit transfers of such Awards to the extent permitted by the Plan; provided that
the consent of the Grantee shall not be required for any amendment (i)which does not adversely affect the rights of the Grantee,
or (ii)which is necessary or advisable (as determined by the Committee) to carry out the purpose of the Award as a result of any
new applicable law or change in an existing applicable law, or (iii)to the extent the Award Agreement specifically permits amendment
without consent;
(n) to cancel, with the consent of the Grantee,
outstanding Awards and to grant new Awards in substitution therefor;
(o) to impose such additional terms and conditions
upon the grant, exercise or retention of Awards as the Committee may, before or concurrently with the grant thereof, deem appropriate,
including limiting the percentage of Awards which may from time to time be exercised by a Grantee;
(p) to make adjustments in the terms and conditions
of, and the criteria in, Awards in recognition of unusual or nonrecurring events (including events described in Section4.2) affecting
the Company or an Affiliate or the financial statements of the Company or an Affiliate, or in response to changes in applicable laws,
regulations or accounting principles;
(q) to correct any defect or supply any omission
or reconcile any inconsistency, and to construe and interpret the Plan, the rules and regulations, and Award Agreement or any other instrument
entered into or relating to an Award under the Plan; and
(r) to take any other action with respect to
any matters relating to the Plan for which it is responsible and to make all other decisions and determinations as may be required under
the terms of the Plan or as the Committee may deem necessary or advisable for the administration of the Plan.
Any action of the Committee with respect to the
Plan shall be final, conclusive and binding on all persons, including the Company, its Affiliates, any Grantee, any person claiming any
rights under the Plan from or through any Grantee, and stockholders, except to the extent the Committee may subsequently modify, or take
further action not consistent with, its prior action. If not specified in the Plan, the time at which the Committee must or may make any
determination shall be determined by the Committee, and any such determination may thereafter be modified by the Committee. The express
grant of any specific power to the Committee, and the taking of any action by the Committee, shall not be construed as limiting any power
or authority of the Committee. Subject to Section3.1(b), the Committee may delegate to officers of the Company or any Affiliate
the authority, subject to such terms as the Committee shall determine, to perform specified functions under the Plan.
3.3
No Repricings
. Notwithstanding
any provision in Section3.2 to the contrary, the terms of any outstanding Option or SAR may not be amended: (i) to reduce the Exercise
Price of such Option or SAR, (ii) cancel any outstanding Option or SAR in exchange for other Options or SARs with an Exercise Price that
is less than the Exercise Price of the cancelled Option or SAR or for any cash payment (or Shares having with a Fair Market Value) in
an amount that exceeds the excess of the Fair Market Value of the Shares underlying such cancelled Option or SAR over the aggregate Exercise
Price of such Option or SAR or for any other Award, or (iii) take any other action with respect to an Option or SAR that would be treated
as a repricing under the rules and regulations on the principal securities exchange on which the Shares are traded, in each case without
stockholder approval; provided, however, that the restrictions set forth in this Section3.3, shall not apply (i)unless the
Company has a class of stock that is registered under Section12 of the Exchange Act or (ii)to any adjustment allowed under
to Section4.2.
ARTICLE 4.
SHARES SUBJECT TO THE PLAN
4.1
Number of Shares Available for
Grants
. Subject to adjustment as provided in Section4.2 and the share counting provisions in this Section 4.1, and except
as provided in Section5.6(b), as of the Effective Date, the maximum number of Shares hereby reserved for delivery pursuant to
Awards granted under the Plan shall be 10,750,000 Shares. Up to a maximum of 10,750,000 Shares may be delivered pursuant to the
exercise of Incentive Stock Options granted hereunder.
If any Shares subject to an Award granted hereunder
(other than a Substitute Award granted pursuant to Section5.6(b)) are forfeited or such Award otherwise terminates without payment
or delivery of all or a portion of such Shares (including on payment in Shares on exercise of a SAR), the Shares subject to such Award,
to the extent of any such forfeiture or termination, shall again be available for grant under the Plan. In the event that any Shares subject
to an Award granted hereunder are withheld or applied as payment (either actually or by attestation) in connection with the exercise of
an Award or the withholding or payment of taxes related thereto (Returned Shares), such Returned Shares will not be treated
as having been delivered for purposes of determining the maximum number of Shares available for grant under the Plan and shall again be
treated as available for grant under the Plan.
Shares delivered pursuant to the Plan may be,
in whole or in part, authorized and unissued Shares, or treasury Shares, including Shares repurchased by the Company for purposes of the
Plan.
4.2
Adjustments in Authorized Shares and
Awards; Corporate Transaction, Liquidation or Dissolution
.
(a)
Adjustment in Authorized Shares and
Awards
. In the event that the Committee determines that any dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, Shares, or
other property), recapitalization, forward or reverse stock split, subdivision, consolidation or reduction of capital, reorganization,
merger, consolidation, scheme of arrangement,split-up,spin-offor combination involving the Company or repurchase or
exchange of Shares or other securities of the Company or other rights to purchase Shares or other securities of the Company, or other
similar corporate transaction or event affects the Shares such that any adjustment is determined by the Committee to be appropriate in
order to prevent dilution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under the Plan, then the
Committee shall, in such manner as it may deem equitable, adjust any or all of (i)the number and type of Shares (or other securities
or property) with respect to which Awards may be granted, (ii)the number and type of Shares (or other securities or property) subject
to outstanding Awards, (iii)the Exercise Price with respect to any Option or SAR or, if deemed appropriate, make provision for a
cash payment to the holder of an outstanding Award, and (iv)the number and kind of Shares of outstanding Restricted Shares, or the
Shares underlying any other form of Award. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no such adjustment shall be authorized with respect to any Options
or SARs to the extent that such adjustment would cause the Option or SAR to violate Section424(a) of the Code or otherwise subject
any Grantee to taxation under Section409A of the Code; and
provided further
that the number of Shares subject to
any Award denominated in Shares shall always be a whole number.
(b)
Merger, Consolidation or Similar
Corporate Transaction
. In the event of a merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another corporation or a sale of substantially
all of the stock of the Company (a Corporate Transaction), unless an outstanding Award is assumed by the Surviving Company
or replaced with an equivalent Award granted by the Surviving Company in substitution for such outstanding Award, the Committee shall
cancel any outstanding Awards that are not vested and nonforfeitable as of the consummation of such Corporate Transaction (unless the
Committee accelerates the vesting of any such Awards) and with respect to any vested and nonforfeitable Awards, the Committee may either
(i)allow all Grantees to exercise such Awards of Options and SARs within a reasonable period prior to the consummation of the Corporate
Transaction and cancel any outstanding Options or SARs that remain unexercised upon consummation of the Corporate Transaction, or (ii)cancel
any or all of such outstanding Awards in exchange for a payment (in cash, or in securities or other property) in an amount equal to the
amount that the Grantee would have received (net of the Exercise Price with respect to any Options or SARs) if such vested Awards were
settled or distributed or such vested Options and SARs were exercised immediately prior to the consummation of the Corporate Transaction.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if an Option or SAR is not assumed by the Surviving Company or replaced with an equivalent Award issued
by the Surviving Company and the Exercise Price with respect to any outstanding Option or SAR exceeds the Fair Market Value of the Shares
immediately prior to the consummation of the Corporation Transaction, such Awards shall be cancelled without any payment to the Grantee.
(c)
Liquidation or Dissolution of the
Company
. In the event of the proposed dissolution or liquidation of the Company, each Award will terminate immediately prior to the
consummation of such proposed action, unless otherwise provided by the Committee. Additionally, the Committee may, in the exercise of
its sole discretion, cause Awards to be vested andnon-forfeitableand cause any conditions on any such Award to lapse, as to
all or any part of such Award, including Shares as to which the Award would not otherwise be exercisable ornon-forfeitableand
allow all Grantees to exercise such Awards of Options and SARs within a reasonable period prior to the consummation of such proposed action.
Any Awards that remain unexercised upon consummation of such proposed action shall be cancelled.
(d)
Deferred Compensation
. Notwithstanding
the forgoing provisions of this Section4.2, if an Award constitutes deferred compensation within the meaning of Code Section409A,
no payment or settlement of such Award shall be made pursuant to Section4.2(b) or (c), unless the Corporate Transaction or the dissolution
or liquidation of the Company, as applicable, constitutes a Change in Control.
ARTICLE 5.
ELIGIBILITY AND GENERAL CONDITIONS OF AWARDS
5.1
Eligibility
. The Committee may
in its discretion grant Awards to any Eligible Person, whether or not he or she has previously received an Award; provided, however, that
all Awards made toNon-EmployeeDirectors shall be determined by the Board in its sole discretion.
5.2
Award Agreement
. To the extent
not set forth in the Plan, the terms and conditions of each Award shall be set forth in an Award Agreement.
5.3
General Terms and Termination of Affiliation
.
The Committee may impose on any Award or the exercise or settlement thereof, at the date of grant or, subject to the provisions of Section15.2,
thereafter, such additional terms and conditions not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan as the Committee shall determine, including
terms requiring forfeiture, acceleration orpro-rataacceleration of Awards in the event of a Termination of Affiliation by
the Grantee. Except as may be required under the Delaware General Corporation Law, Awards may be granted for no consideration other than
prior and future services. Except as set forth in an Award Agreement or as otherwise determined by the Committee, (a)all Options
and SARs that are not vested and exercisable at the time of a Grantees Termination of Affiliation, and any other Awards that remain
subject to a risk of forfeiture or which are not otherwise vested at the time of the Grantees Termination of Affiliation shall
be forfeited to the Company and (b)all outstanding Options and SARs not previously exercised shall expire three months after the
Grantees Termination of Affiliation.
5.4
Nontransferability of Awards
.
(a) Each Award and each right under any Award
shall be exercisable only by the Grantee during the Grantees lifetime, or, if permissible under applicable law, by the Grantees
guardian or legal representative or by a transferee receiving such Award pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order (a QDRO)
as defined in the Code or Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, or the rules thereunder.
(b) No Award (prior to the time, if applicable,
Shares are delivered in respect of such Award), and no right under any Award, may be assigned, alienated, pledged, attached, sold or otherwise
transferred or encumbered by a Grantee otherwise than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution (or in the case of Restricted
Shares, to the Company) or pursuant to a QDRO, and any such purported assignment, alienation, pledge, attachment, sale, transfer or encumbrance
shall be void and unenforceable against the Company or any Affiliate; provided that the designation of a beneficiary to receive benefits
in the event of the Grantees death shall not constitute an assignment, alienation, pledge, attachment, sale, transfer or encumbrance.
(c) Notwithstanding subsections (a)and
(b) above, to the extent provided in the Award Agreement or as otherwise approved by the Committee, Options (other than Incentive Stock
Options) and Restricted Shares, may be transferred, without consideration, to a Permitted Transferee. For this purpose, a Permitted
Transferee in respect of any Grantee means any member of the Immediate Family of such Grantee, any trust of which all of the primary
beneficiaries are such Grantee or members of his or her Immediate Family, or any partnership (including limited liability companies and
similar entities) of which all of the partners or members are such Grantee or members of his or her Immediate Family; and the Immediate
Family of a Grantee means the Grantees spouse, children, stepchildren, grandchildren, parents, stepparents, siblings, grandparents,
nieces and nephews. Such Option may be exercised by such transferee in accordance with the terms of the Award Agreement. If so determined
by the Committee, a Grantee may, in the manner established by the Committee, designate a beneficiary or beneficiaries to exercise the
rights of the Grantee, and to receive any distribution with respect to any Award upon the death of the Grantee. A transferee, beneficiary,
guardian, legal representative or other person claiming any rights under the Plan from or through any Grantee shall be subject to and
consistent with the provisions of the Plan and any applicable Award Agreement, except to the extent the Plan and Award Agreement otherwise
provide with respect to such persons, and to any additional restrictions or limitations deemed necessary or appropriate by the Committee.
(d) Nothing herein shall be construed as requiring
the Committee to honor a QDRO except to the extent required under applicable law.
5.5
Cancellation and Rescission of Awards
.
Unless the Award Agreement specifies otherwise, the Committee may cancel, rescind, suspend, withhold, or otherwise limit or restrict any
unexercised Award at any time if the Grantee is not in compliance with all applicable provisions of the Award Agreement and the Plan or
if the Grantee has a Termination of Affiliation.
5.6
Stand-Alone, Tandem and Substitute
Awards
.
(a) Awards granted under the Plan may, in the
discretion of the Committee, be granted either alone or in addition to, in tandem with, or in substitution for, any other Award granted
under the Plan unless such tandem or substitution Award would subject the Grantee to tax penalties imposed under Section409A of
the Code. If an Award is granted in substitution for another Award or anynon-Planaward or benefit, the Committee shall require
the surrender of such other Award ornon-Planaward or benefit in consideration for the grant of the new Award. Awards granted
in addition to or in tandem with other Awards ornon-Planawards or benefits may be granted either at the same time as or at
a different time from the grant of such other Awards ornon-Planawards or benefits; provided, however, that if any SAR is granted
in tandem with an Incentive Stock Option, such SAR and Incentive Stock Option must have the same Grant Date, Term and the Exercise Price
of the SAR may not be less than the Exercise Price of the Incentive Stock Option.
(b) The Committee may, in its discretion and
on such terms and conditions as the Committee considers appropriate in the circumstances, grant Awards under the Plan (Substitute
Awards) in substitution for stock and stock-based awards (Acquired Entity Awards) held by current or former employees
ornon-employeedirectors of, or consultants to, another corporation or entity who become Eligible Persons as the result of
a merger or consolidation of the employing corporation or other entity (the Acquired Entity) with the Company or an Affiliate
or the acquisition by the Company or an Affiliate of property or stock of the Acquired Entity immediately prior to such merger, consolidation
or acquisition in order to preserve for the Grantee the economic value of all or a portion of such Acquired Entity Award at such price
as the Committee determines necessary to achieve preservation of economic value. The limitations in Section4.1 on the number of
Shares reserved or available for grants shall not apply to Substitute Awards granted under this Section5.6(b).
5.7
Compliance with Rule16b-3
.
The provisions of this Section5.7will not apply unless and until the Company has a class of stock that is registered under Section12
of the Exchange Act.
(a)
Six-MonthHolding Period Advice
.
Unless a Grantee could otherwise dispose of or exercise a derivative security or dispose of Shares delivered under the Plan without incurring
liability under Section16(b) of the Exchange Act, the Committee may advise or require a Grantee to comply with the following in
order to avoid incurring liability under Section16(b) of the Exchange Act: (i)at least six months must elapse from the date
of acquisition of a derivative security under the Plan to the date of disposition of the derivative security (other than upon exercise
or conversion) or its underlying equity security, and (ii)Shares granted or awarded under the Plan other than upon exercise or conversion
of a derivative security must be held for at least six months from the date of grant of an Award.
(b)
Reformation to Comply with Exchange
Act Rules
. To the extent the Committee determines that a grant or other transaction by a Section16 Person should comply with
applicable provisions of Rule16b-3(except for transactions exempted under alternative Exchange Act rules), the Committee shall
take such actions as necessary to make such grant or other transaction so comply, and if any provision of this Plan or any Award Agreement
relating to a given Award does not comply with the requirements of Rule16b-3as then applicable to any such grant or transaction,
such provision will be construed or deemed amended, if the Committee so determines, to the extent necessary to conform to the then applicable
requirements of Rule16b-3.
(c)
Rule16b-3Administration
.
Any function relating to a Section16 Person shall be performed solely by the Committee or the Board if necessary to ensure compliance
with applicable requirements of Rule16b-3,to the extent the Committee determines that such compliance is desired. Each member
of the Committee or person acting on behalf of the Committee shall be entitled to, in good faith, rely or act upon any report or other
information furnished to him by any officer, manager or other employee of the Company or any Affiliate, the Companys independent
certified public accountants or any executive compensation consultant or attorney or other professional retained by the Company to assist
in the administration of the Plan.
5.8
Deferral of Award Payouts
. The
Committee may permit a Grantee to defer, or if and to the extent specified in an Award Agreement require the Grantee to defer, receipt
of the payment of cash or the delivery of Shares that would otherwise be due by virtue of the lapse or waiver of restrictions with respect
to Restricted Stock Units, the satisfaction of any requirements or goals with respect to Performance Units or Performance Shares, the
lapse or waiver of the deferral period for Deferred Stock, or the lapse or waiver of restrictions with respect to Other Stock-Based Awards
or Cash Incentive Awards. If the Committee permits such deferrals, the Committee shall establish rules and procedures for making such
deferral elections and for the payment of such deferrals, which shall conform in form and substance with applicable regulations promulgated
under Section409A of the Code and Article 16 to ensure that the Grantee is not subjected to tax penalties under Section409A
of the Code with respect to such deferrals. Except as otherwise provided in an Award Agreement, any payment or any Shares that are subject
to such deferral shall be made or delivered to the Grantee as specified in the Award Agreement or pursuant to the Grantees deferral
election.
ARTICLE 6.
STOCK OPTIONS
6.1
Grant of Options
. Subject to and
consistent with the provisions of the Plan, Options may be granted to any Eligible Person in such number, and upon such terms, and at
any time and from time to time as shall be determined by the Committee.
6.2
Award Agreement
. Each Option grant
shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement that shall specify the Exercise Price, the Term of the Option, the number of Shares to which
the Option pertains, the time or times at which such Option shall be exercisable and such other provisions as the Committee shall determine.
6.3
Option Exercise Price
. The Exercise
Price of an Option under this Plan shall be determined in the sole discretion of the Committee but may not be less than 100% of the Fair
Market Value of a Share on the Grant Date (other than in the case of Substitute Awards).
6.4
Grant of Incentive Stock Options
.
At the time of the grant of any Option, the Committee may in its discretion designate that such Option shall be made subject to additional
restrictions to permit it to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option. Any Option designated as an Incentive Stock Option:
(a) shall be granted only to an employee of the
Company or a Subsidiary Corporation;
(b) shall have an Exercise Price of not less
than 100% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the Grant Date, and, if granted to a person who owns capital stock (including stock treated
as owned under Section424(d) of the Code) possessing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of capital
stock of the Company or any Subsidiary Corporation (a More Than 10% Owner), have an Exercise Price not less than 110% of
the Fair Market Value of a Share on its Grant Date;
(c) shall be for a period of not more than 10
years (five years if the Grantee is a More Than 10% Owner) from its Grant Date, and shall be subject to earlier termination as provided
herein or in the applicable Award Agreement;
(d) shall not have an aggregate Fair Market Value
(as of the Grant Date) of the Shares with respect to which Incentive Stock Options (whether granted under the Plan or any other stock
option plan of the Grantees employer or any parent or Subsidiary Corporation (Other Plans)) are exercisable for the
first time by such Grantee during any calendar year (Current Grant), determined in accordance with the provisions of Section422
of the Code, which exceeds $100,000 (the $100,000 Limit);
(e) shall, if the aggregate Fair Market Value
of the Shares (determined on the Grant Date) with respect to the Current Grant and all Incentive Stock Options previously granted under
the Plan and any Other Plans which are exercisable for the first time during a calendar year (Prior Grants) would exceed
the $100,000 Limit, be, as to the portion in excess of the $100,000 Limit, exercisable as a separate option that is not an Incentive Stock
Option at such date or dates as are provided in the Current Grant;
(f) shall require the Grantee to notify the Committee
of any disposition of any Shares delivered pursuant to the exercise of the Incentive Stock Option under the circumstances described in
Section421(b) of the Code (relating to holding periods and certain disqualifying dispositions) (Disqualifying Disposition)
within 10 days of such a Disqualifying Disposition;
(g) shall by its terms not be assignable or transferable
other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution and may be exercised, during the Grantees lifetime, only by the Grantee;
provided, however, that the Grantee may, to the extent provided in the Plan in any manner specified by the Committee, designate in writing
a beneficiary to exercise his or her Incentive Stock Option after the Grantees death; and
(h) shall, if such Option nevertheless fails
to meet the foregoing requirements, or otherwise fails to meet the requirements of Section422 of the Code for an Incentive Stock
Option, be treated for all purposes of this Plan, except as otherwise provided in subsections (d)and (e) above, as an Option that
is not an Incentive Stock Option.
Notwithstanding the foregoing and Section3.2,
the Committee may, without the consent of the Grantee, at any time before the exercise of an Option (whether or not an Incentive Stock
Option), take any action necessary to prevent such Option from being treated as an Incentive Stock Option.
6.5
Payment of Exercise Price
. Except
as otherwise provided in an Award Agreement, Options shall be exercised by the delivery of a written notice of exercise to the Company,
setting forth the number of Shares with respect to which the Option is to be exercised, accompanied by full payment for the Shares made
by any one or more of the following means:
(a) cash, personal check or wire transfer;
(b) with the approval of the Committee, delivery
of Common Stock owned by the Grantee prior to exercise, valued at Fair Market Value on the date of exercise;
(c) with the approval of the Committee, Shares
acquired upon the exercise of such Option, such Shares valued at Fair Market Value on the date of exercise;
(d) with the approval of the Committee, Restricted
Shares held by the Grantee prior to the exercise of the Option, valued at Fair Market Value on the date of exercise; or
(e) subject to applicable law (including the
prohibited loan provisions of Section402 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002), through the sale of the Shares acquired on exercise
of the Option through a broker-dealer to whom the Grantee has submitted an irrevocable notice of exercise and irrevocable instructions
to deliver promptly to the Company the amount of sale proceeds sufficient to pay for such Shares, together with, if requested by the Company,
the amount of federal, state, local or foreign withholding taxes payable by Grantee by reason of such exercise.
The Committee may in its discretion specify that,
if any Restricted Shares (Tendered Restricted Shares) are used to pay the Exercise Price, (x)all the Shares acquired
on exercise of the Option shall be subject to the same restrictions as the Tendered Restricted Shares, determined as of the date of exercise
of the Option, or (y)a number of Shares acquired on exercise of the Option equal to the number of Tendered Restricted Shares shall
be subject to the same restrictions as the Tendered Restricted Shares, determined as of the date of exercise of the Option.
ARTICLE 7.
STOCK APPRECIATION RIGHTS
7.1
Issuance
. Subject to and consistent
with the provisions of the Plan, the Committee, at any time and from time to time, may grant SARs to any Eligible Person either alone
or in addition to other Awards granted under the Plan. Such SARs may, but need not, be granted in connection with a specific Option granted
under Article 6. The Committee may impose such conditions or restrictions on the exercise of any SAR as it shall deem appropriate.
7.2
Award Agreements
. Each SAR grant
shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement in such form as the Committee may approve and shall contain such terms and conditions not inconsistent
with other provisions of the Plan as shall be determined from time to time by the Committee.
7.3
SAR Exercise Price
. The Exercise
Price of a SAR shall be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion; provided that the Exercise Price shall not be less than 100%
of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of the grant of the SAR (other than in the case of Substitute Awards).
7.4
Exercise and Payment
. Upon the
exercise of an SAR, a Grantee shall be entitled to receive payment from the Company in an amount determined by multiplying:
(a) The excess of the Fair Market Value of a
Share on the date of exercise over the Exercise Price; by
(b) The number of Shares with respect to which
the SAR is exercised.
SARs shall be deemed exercised on the date written
notice of exercise in a form acceptable to the Committee is received by the Secretary of the Company. The Company shall make payment in
respect of any SAR within five (5)days of the date the SAR is exercised. Any payment by the Company in respect of a SAR may be made
in cash, Shares, other property, or any combination thereof, as the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine or, to the extent
permitted under the terms of the applicable Award Agreement, at the election of the Grantee.
ARTICLE 8.
RESTRICTED SHARES
8.1
Grant of Restricted Shares
. Subject
to and consistent with the provisions of the Plan, the Committee, at any time and from time to time, may grant Restricted Shares to any
Eligible Person in such amounts as the Committee shall determine.
8.2
Award Agreement
. Each grant of
Restricted Shares shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement that shall specify the Period(s) of Restriction, the number of Restricted Shares
granted, and such other provisions as the Committee shall determine. The Committee may impose such conditions and/or restrictions on any
Restricted Shares granted pursuant to the Plan as it may deem advisable, including restrictions based upon the achievement of specific
performance goals, time-based restrictions on vesting following the attainment of the performance goals, and/or restrictions under applicable
securities laws; provided that such conditions and/or restrictions may lapse, if so determined by the Committee, in the event of the Grantees
Termination of Affiliation due to death, Disability, or involuntary termination by the Company or an Affiliate without Cause.
8.3
Consideration for Restricted Shares
.
The Committee shall determine the amount, if any, that a Grantee shall pay for Restricted Shares.
8.4
Effect of Forfeiture
. If Restricted
Shares are forfeited, and if the Grantee was required to pay for such shares or acquired such Restricted Shares upon the exercise of an
Option, the Grantee shall be deemed to have resold such Restricted Shares to the Company at a price equal to the lesser of (x)the
amount paid by the Grantee for such Restricted Shares, or (y)the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of such forfeiture. The
Company shall pay to the Grantee the deemed sale price as soon as is administratively practical. Such Restricted Shares shall cease to
be outstanding and shall no longer confer on the Grantee thereof any rights as a stockholder of the Company, from and after the date of
the event causing the forfeiture, whether or not the Grantee accepts the Companys tender of payment for such Restricted Shares.
8.5
Escrow; Legends
. The Committee
may provide that the certificates for any Restricted Shares (x)shall be held (together with a stock power executed in blank by the
Grantee) in escrow by the Secretary of the Company until such Restricted Shares become nonforfeitable or are forfeited and/or (y)shall
bear an appropriate legend restricting the transfer of such Restricted Shares under the Plan. If any Restricted Shares become nonforfeitable,
the Company shall cause certificates for such shares to be delivered without such legend.
ARTICLE 9.
PERFORMANCE UNITS AND PERFORMANCE SHARES
9.1
Grant of Performance Units and Performance
Shares
. Subject to and consistent with the provisions of the Plan, Performance Units or Performance Shares may be granted to any Eligible
Person in such amounts and upon such terms, and at any time and from time to time, as shall be determined by the Committee.
9.2
Value/Performance Goals
. The Committee
shall set performance goals in its discretion which, depending on the extent to which they are met, will determine the number or value
of Performance Units or Performance Shares that will be paid to the Grantee.
(a)
Performance Unit
. Each Performance
Unit shall have an initial value that is established by the Committee at the time of grant.
(b)
Performance Share
. Each Performance
Share shall have an initial value equal to the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant.
9.3
Earning of Performance Units and Performance
Shares
. After the applicable Performance Period has ended, the holder of Performance Units or Performance Shares shall be entitled
to payment based on the level of achievement of performance goals set by the Committee. At the discretion of the Committee, the settlement
of Performance Units or Performance Shares may be in cash, Shares of equivalent value, or in some combination thereof, as set forth in
the Award Agreement.
If a Grantee is promoted, demoted or transferred
to a different business unit of the Company during a Performance Period, then, to the extent the Committee determines that the Award,
the performance goals, or the Performance Period are no longer appropriate, the Committee may adjust, change, eliminate or cancel the
Award, the performance goals, or the applicable Performance Period, as it deems appropriate in order to make them appropriate and comparable
to the initial Award, the performance goals, or the Performance Period.
Subject to Article 11 and Section 18.6, at the
discretion of the Committee, a Grantee may be entitled to receive any dividends or Dividend Equivalents declared with respect to Shares
deliverable in connection with vested Performance Shares which have been earned, but not yet delivered to the Grantee.
ARTICLE 10.
DEFERRED STOCK AND RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS
10.1
Grant of Deferred Stock and Restricted
Stock Units
. Subject to and consistent with the provisions of the Plan, the Committee, at any time and from time to time, may grant
Deferred Stock and/or Restricted Stock Units to any Eligible Person, in such amount and upon such terms as the Committee shall determine.
Deferred Stock must conform in form and substance with applicable regulations promulgated under Section409A of the Code and with
Article 16 to ensure that the Grantee is not subjected to tax penalties under Section409A of the Code with respect to such Deferred
Stock.
10.2
Vesting and Delivery
.
(a)
Delivery with Respect to Deferred
Stock
. Delivery of Shares subject to a Deferred Stock grant will occur upon expiration of the deferral period or upon the occurrence
of one or more of the distribution events described in Section409A(a)(2) of the Code as specified by the Committee in the Grantees
Award Agreement for the Award of Deferred Stock. An Award of Deferred Stock may be subject to such substantial risk of forfeiture conditions
as the Committee may impose, which conditions may lapse at such times or upon the achievement of such objectives as the Committee shall
determine at the time of grant or thereafter. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, to the extent that the Grantee has a Termination
of Affiliation while the Deferred Stock remains subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture, such Deferred Shares shall be forfeited,
unless the Committee determines that such substantial risk of forfeiture shall lapse in the event of the Grantees Termination of
Affiliation due to death, Disability, or involuntary termination by the Company or an Affiliate without cause.
(b)
Delivery with Respect to Restricted
Stock Units
. Delivery of Shares subject to a grant of Restricted Stock Units shall occur no later than the 15
th
day
of the third month following the end of the taxable year of the Grantee or the fiscal year of the Company in which the Grantees
rights under such Restricted Stock Units are no longer subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture as defined in final regulations under
Section409A of the Code. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, to the extent that the Grantee has a Termination of Affiliation
while the Restricted Stock Units remains subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture, such Restricted Stock Units shall be forfeited,
unless the Committee determines that such substantial risk of forfeiture shall lapse in the event of the Grantees Termination of
Affiliation due to death, Disability, or involuntary termination by the Company or an Affiliate without cause.
10.3
Voting and Dividend Equivalent Rights
Attributable to Deferred Stock and Restricted Stock Units
. A Grantee awarded Deferred Stock or Restricted Stock Units will have no
voting rights with respect to such Deferred Stock or Restricted Stock Units prior to the delivery of Shares in settlement of such Deferred
Stock and/or Restricted Stock Units. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, a Grantee will have the rights to receive Dividend
Equivalents in respect of Deferred Stock and/or Restricted Stock Units, which Dividend Equivalents shall be deemed reinvested in additional
Shares of Deferred Stock or Restricted Stock Units, as applicable, which shall remain subject to the same forfeiture conditions applicable
to the Deferred Stock or Restricted Stock Units to which such Dividend Equivalents relate.
ARTICLE 11.
DIVIDEND EQUIVALENTS
The Committee is authorized to grant Awards of
Dividend Equivalents alone or in conjunction with other Awards. The Committee may provide that Dividend Equivalents shall be paid or distributed
when accrued or shall be deemed to have been reinvested in additional Shares or additional Awards or otherwise reinvested subject to distribution
at the same time and subject to the same conditions as the Award to which it relates; provided, however, that any Dividend Equivalents
granted in conjunction with any Award that is subject to forfeiture conditions shall remain subject to the same forfeiture conditions
applicable to the Award to which such Dividend Equivalents relate and no Dividend Equivalents shall be granted in conjunction with any
Options or SARs. The timing of payment or distribution of Dividend Equivalents must comply with the requirements of Section409A
of the Code.
ARTICLE 12.
BONUS SHARES
Subject to the terms of the Plan, the Committee
may grant Bonus Shares to any Eligible Person, in such amount and upon such terms and at any time and from time to time as shall be determined
by the Committee.
ARTICLE 13.
OTHER STOCK-BASED AWARDS
The Committee is authorized, subject to limitations
under applicable law, to grant such other Awards that are denominated or payable in, valued in whole or in part by reference to, or otherwise
based on, or related to, Shares, as deemed by the Committee to be consistent with the purposes of the Plan, including Shares awarded which
are not subject to any restrictions or conditions, convertible or exchangeable debt securities or other rights convertible or exchangeable
into Shares, and Awards valued by reference to the value of securities of or the performance of specified Affiliates. Subject to and consistent
with the provisions of the Plan, the Committee shall determine the terms and conditions of such Awards. Except as provided by the Committee,
Shares delivered pursuant to a purchase right granted under this Article 13 shall be purchased for such consideration, paid for by such
methods and in such forms, including cash, Shares, outstanding Awards or other property, as the Committee shall determine.
ARTICLE 14.
NON-EMPLOYEEDIRECTOR AWARDS
14.1
Non-Employee Director Awards
.
Subject to the terms of the Plan, the Board may grant Awards to anyNon-EmployeeDirector, in such amount and upon such terms
and at any time and from time to time as shall be determined by the full Board in its sole discretion. Except as otherwise provided in
Section5.6(b) and in this Article 14, a Non-EmployeeDirector may not be granted Awards for cash or Shares that together with
any awards made outside of the Plan have a Fair Market Value (determined as of the date of grant) in excess of (i) $1,000,000 in a single
calendar year or (ii) $2,000,000 in the calendar year during which the Non-Employee Director was appointed to the Board.
14.2
Lead Independent Director and Non-Employee
Director Chair Awards
. Except as otherwise provided in Section5.6(b), a Lead Independent Director or Non-Employee Director Chair
may not be granted Awards for cash or Shares that together with any awards made outside of the Plan have a Fair Market Value (determined
as of the date of grant) in excess of $2,000,000 in a single calendar year.
ARTICLE 15.
AMENDMENT, MODIFICATION, AND TERMINATION
15.1
Amendment, Modification, and Termination
.
Subject to Section15.2, the Board may, at any time and from time to time, alter, amend, suspend, discontinue or terminate the Plan
in whole or in part without the approval of the Companys stockholders, except that (a)any amendment or alteration shall be
subject to the approval of the Companys stockholders if such stockholder approval is required by any federal or state law or regulation
or the rules of any stock exchange or automated quotation system on which the Shares may then be listed or quoted, and (b)the Board
may otherwise, in its discretion, determine to submit other such amendments or alterations to stockholders for approval.
15.2
Awards Previously Granted
. Except
as otherwise specifically permitted in the Plan or an Award Agreement, no termination, amendment, or modification of the Plan shall adversely
affect in any material way any Award previously granted under the Plan, without the written consent of the Grantee of such Award.
ARTICLE 16.
COMPLIANCE WITH CODE SECTION409A
16.1
Awards Subject to Code Section409A
.
The provisions of this Article 16 shall apply to any Award or portion thereof that is or becomes deferred compensation subject to Code
Section409A (a 409A Award), notwithstanding any provision to the contrary contained in the Plan or the Award Agreement
applicable to such Award.
16.2
Deferral and/or Distribution Elections
.
Except as otherwise permitted or required by Code Section409A, the following rules shall apply to any deferral and/or elections
as to the form or timing of distributions (each, an Election) that may be permitted or required by the Committee with respect
to a 409A Award:
(a) Any Election must be in writing and specify
the amount being deferred, and the time and form of distribution (i.e., lump sum or installments) as permitted by this Plan. An Election
may but need not specify whether payment will be made in cash, Shares or other property.
(b) Any Election shall become irrevocable as
of the deadline specified by the Committee, which shall not be later than December31 of the year preceding the year in which services
relating to the Award commence; provided, however, that if the Award qualifies as performance-based compensation for purposes
of Code Section409A and is based on services performed over a period of at least twelve (12)months, then the deadline may
be no later than six (6)months prior to the end of such Performance Period.
(c) Unless otherwise provided by the Committee,
an Election shall continue in effect until a written election to revoke or change such Election is received by the Committee, prior to
the last day for making an Election for the subsequent year.
16.3
Subsequent Elections
. Except
as otherwise permitted or required by Code Section409A, any 409A Award which permits a subsequent Election to further defer the
distribution or change the form of distribution shall comply with the following requirements:
(a) No subsequent Election may take effect until
at least twelve (12)months after the date on which the subsequent Election is made;
(b) Each subsequent Election related to a distribution
upon separation from service, a specified time, or a Change in Control must result in a delay of the distribution for a period of not
less than five (5)years from the date such distribution would otherwise have been made; and
(c) No subsequent Election related to a distribution
to be made at a specified time or pursuant to a fixed schedule shall be made less than twelve (12)months prior to the date the first
scheduled payment would otherwise be made.
16.4
Distributions Pursuant to Deferral
Elections
. Except as otherwise permitted or required by Code Section409A, no distribution in settlement of a 409A Award may
commence earlier than:
(a) Separation from Service;
(b) The date the Participant becomes Disabled
(as defined in Section2.15(b);
(c) The Participants death;
(d) A specified time (or pursuant to a fixed
schedule) that is either (i)specified by the Committee upon the grant of the Award and set forth in the Award Agreement or (ii)specified
by the Grantee in an Election complying with the requirements of Section16.2 and/or 16.3, as applicable; or
(e) A change in ownership of the Company or a
substantial portion of its assets within the meaning of Treasury RegulationSection1.409A-3(i)(5)(v)or (vii)or
a change in effective control of the Company within the meaning of Treasury RegulationSection1.409A-3(i)(5)(vi)(a Change
in Control).
16.5
Six Month Delay
. Notwithstanding
anything herein or in any Award Agreement or Election to the contrary, to the extent that distribution of a 409A Award is triggered by
a Grantees Separation from Service, if the Grantee is then a specified employee (as defined in Treasury RegulationSection1.409A-1(i)),no
distribution may be made before the date which is six (6)months after such Grantees Separation from Service, or, if earlier,
the date of the Grantees death.
16.6
Death or Disability
. Unless the
Award Agreement otherwise provides, if a Grantee dies or becomes Disabled before complete distribution of amounts payable upon settlement
of a 409A Award, such undistributed amounts, to the extent vested, shall be distributed as provided in the Participants Election. If the
Participant has made no Election with respect to distributions upon death or Disability, all such distributions shall be paid in a lump
sum within 90 days following the date of the Participants death or Disability.
16.7
No Acceleration of Distributions
.
This Plan does not permit the acceleration of the time or schedule of any distribution under a 409A Award, except as provided by Code
Section409A and/or applicable regulations or rulings issued thereunder.
ARTICLE 17.
WITHHOLDING
17.1
Required Withholding
.
(a) The Committee in its sole discretion may
provide that when taxes are to be withheld in connection with the exercise of an Option or SAR, or upon the lapse of restrictions on Restricted
Shares, or upon the transfer of Shares, or upon payment of any other benefit or right under this Plan (the date on which such exercise
occurs or such restrictions lapse or such payment of any other benefit or right occurs hereinafter referred to as the Tax Date),
the Grantee may elect to make payment for the withholding of federal, state and local taxes, including Social Security and Medicare (FICA)
taxes by one or a combination of the following methods:
(i) payment of an amount in cash equal
to the amount to be withheld (including cash obtained through the sale of the Shares acquired on exercise of an Option or SAR, upon the
lapse of restrictions on Restricted Shares, or upon the transfer of Shares, through a broker-dealer to whom the Grantee has submitted
an irrevocable instructions to deliver promptly to the Company, the amount to be withheld);
(ii) delivering part or all of the
amount to be withheld in the form of Common Stock valued at its Fair Market Value on the Tax Date;
(iii) requesting the Company to withhold
from those Shares that would otherwise be received upon exercise of the Option or SAR, upon the lapse of restrictions on Restricted Stock,
or upon the transfer of Shares, a number of Shares having a Fair Market Value on the Tax Date equal to the amount to be withheld; or
(iv) withholding from any compensation
otherwise due to the Grantee.
The Committee in its sole discretion
may provide that the maximum amount of tax withholding upon exercise of an Option or SARs, upon the lapse of restrictions on Restricted
Shares, or upon the transfer of Shares, to be satisfied by withholding Shares upon exercise of such Option or SAR, upon the lapse of restrictions
on Restricted Shares, or upon the transfer of Shares, pursuant to clause (iii)above shall not exceed the minimum amount of taxes,
including FICA taxes, required to be withheld under federal, state and local law. An election by Grantee under this subsection is irrevocable.
Any fractional share amount and any additional withholding not paid by the withholding or surrender of Shares must be paid in cash. If
no timely election is made, the Grantee must deliver cash to satisfy all tax withholding requirements.
(b) Any Grantee who makes a Disqualifying Disposition
(as defined in Section6.4(f)) or an election under Section83(b) of the Code shall remit to the Company an amount sufficient
to satisfy all resulting tax withholding requirements in the same manner as set forth in subsection (a).
17.2
Notification under Code Section83(b)
.
If the Grantee, in connection with the exercise of any Option, or the grant of Restricted Shares, makes the election permitted under Section83(b)
of the Code to include in such Grantees gross income in the year of transfer the amounts specified in Section83(b) of the
Code, then such Grantee shall notify the Company of such election within 10 days of filing the notice of the election with the Internal
Revenue Service, in addition to any filing and notification required pursuant to regulations issued under Section83(b) of the Code.
The Committee may, in connection with the grant of an Award or at any time thereafter, prohibit a Grantee from making the election described
above.
ARTICLE 18.
ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS
18.1
Successors
. Subject to Section4.2(b),
all obligations of the Company under the Plan with respect to Awards granted hereunder shall be binding on any successor to the Company,
whether the existence of such successor is the result of a direct or indirect purchase, merger, consolidation, or otherwise of all or
substantially all of the business and/or assets of the Company.
18.2
Severability
. If any part of
the Plan is declared by any court or governmental authority to be unlawful or invalid, such unlawfulness or invalidity shall not invalidate
any other part of the Plan. Any Section or part of a Section so declared to be unlawful or invalid shall, if possible, be construed in
a manner which will give effect to the terms of such Section or part of a Section to the fullest extent possible while remaining lawful
and valid.
18.3
Requirements of Law
. The granting
of Awards and the delivery of Shares under the Plan shall be subject to all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, and to such approvals
by any governmental agencies or national securities exchanges as may be required. Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan or any Award,
Grantees shall not be entitled to exercise, or receive benefits under, any Award, and the Company (and any Affiliate) shall not be obligated
to deliver any Shares or deliver benefits to a Grantee, if such exercise or delivery would constitute a violation by the Grantee or the
Company of any applicable law or regulation.
18.4
Securities Law Compliance
.
(a) If the Committee deems it necessary to comply
with any applicable securities law, or the requirements of any stock exchange upon which Shares may be listed, the Committee may impose
any restriction on Awards or Shares acquired pursuant to Awards under the Plan as it may deem advisable. In addition, if requested by
the Company and any underwriter engaged by the Company, Shares acquired pursuant to Awards may not be sold or otherwise transferred or
disposed of for such period following the effective date of any registration statement of the Company filed under the Securities Act as
the Company or such underwriter shall specify reasonably and in good faith, not to exceed 180 days in the case of the Companys
initial public offering or 90 days in the case of any other public offering. All certificates for Shares delivered under the Plan pursuant
to any Award or the exercise thereof shall be subject to such stop transfer orders and other restrictions as the Committee may deem advisable
under the rules, regulations and other requirements of the SEC, any stock exchange upon which Shares are then listed, any applicable securities
law, and the Committee may cause a legend or legends to be put on any such certificates to make appropriate reference to such restrictions.
If so requested by the Company, the Grantee shall make a written representation to the Company that he or she will not sell or offer to
sell any Shares unless a registration statement shall be in effect with respect to such Shares under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
and any applicable state securities law or unless he or she shall have furnished to the Company, in form and substance satisfactory to
the Company, that such registration is not required.
(b) If the Committee determines that the exercise
or nonforfeitability of, or delivery of benefits pursuant to, any Award would violate any applicable provision of securities laws or the
listing requirements of any national securities exchange or national market system on which are listed any of the Companys equity
securities, then the Committee may postpone any such exercise, nonforfeitability or delivery, as applicable, but the Company shall use
all reasonable efforts to cause such exercise, nonforfeitability or delivery to comply with all such provisions at the earliest practicable
date.
18.5
Forfeiture Events
. Notwithstanding
any provisions herein to the contrary, the Committee shall have the authority to determine (and may so provide in any Award Agreement)
that a Grantees (including his or her estates, beneficiarys or transferees) rights (including the right to
exercise any Option or SAR), payments and benefits with respect to any Award shall be subject to reduction, cancellation, forfeiture or
recoupment (to the extent permitted by applicable law) in the event of the Participants termination for Cause; serious misconduct;
violation of the Companys or an Affiliates policies; breach of fiduciary duty; unauthorized disclosure of any trade secret
or confidential information of the Company or an Affiliate; breach of applicable noncompetition, nonsolicitation, confidentiality or other
restrictive covenants; or other conduct or activity that is in competition with the business of the Company or an Affiliate, or otherwise
detrimental to the business, reputation or interests of the Company and/or an Affiliate; or upon the occurrence of certain events specified
in the applicable Award Agreement (in any such case, whether or not the Grantee is then an Employee orNon-EmployeeDirector).
The determination of whether a Grantees conduct, activities or circumstances are described in the immediately preceding sentence
shall be made by the Committee in its discretion, and pending any such determination, the Committee shall have the authority to suspend
the exercise, payment, delivery or settlement of all or any portion of such Grantees outstanding Awards pending any investigation
of the matter.
18.6
No Rights as a Stockholder
. No
Grantee shall have any rights as a stockholder of the Company with respect to the Shares (other than Restricted Shares) which may be deliverable
upon exercise or payment of such Award until such Shares have been delivered to him or her. Restricted Shares, whether held by a Grantee
or in escrow by the Secretary of the Company, shall confer on the Grantee all rights of a stockholder of the Company, except as otherwise
provided in the Plan or Award Agreement. At the time of a grant of Restricted Shares, the Committee may require the payment of cash dividends
thereon to be deferred and, if the Committee so determines, reinvested in additional Restricted Shares. Stock dividends and deferred cash
dividends issued with respect to Restricted Shares shall be subject to the same restrictions and other terms as apply to the Restricted
Shares with respect to which such dividends are issued. The Committee may in its discretion provide for payment of interest on deferred
cash dividends.
18.7
Nature of Payments
. Unless otherwise
specified in the Award Agreement, Awards shall be special incentive payments to the Grantee and shall not be taken into account in computing
the amount of salary or compensation of the Grantee for purposes of determining any pension, retirement, death or other benefit under
(a)any pension, retirement, profit sharing, bonus, insurance or other employee benefit plan of the Company or any Affiliate, except
as such plan shall otherwise expressly provide, or (b)any agreement between (i)the Company or any Affiliate and (ii)the
Grantee, except as such agreement shall otherwise expressly provide.
18.8
Non-Exclusivityof Plan
.
Neither the adoption of the Plan by the Board nor its submission to the stockholders of the Company for approval shall be construed as
creating any limitations on the power of the Board to adopt such other compensatory arrangements for employees orNon-EmployeeDirectors
as it may deem desirable.
18.9
Governing Law
. The Plan, and
all agreements hereunder, shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, other than its laws
respecting choice or conflicts of law rule or principles that might otherwise refer construction or interpretation of the Plan to the
substantive law of another jurisdiction. Unless otherwise provided in the Award Agreement, Participants are deemed to submit to the exclusive
jurisdiction and venue of the federal or state courts of the State of Delaware, to resolve any and all issues that may arise out of or
relate to the Plan or any related Award Agreement.
18.10
Unfunded Status of Awards; Creation
of Trusts
. The Plan is intended to constitute an unfunded plan for incentive and deferred compensation. With respect
to any payments not yet made to a Grantee pursuant to an Award, nothing contained in the Plan or any Award Agreement shall give any such
Grantee any rights that are greater than those of a general creditor of the Company; provided, however, that the Committee may authorize
the creation of trusts or make other arrangements to meet the Companys obligations under the Plan to deliver cash, Shares or other
property pursuant to any Award which trusts or other arrangements shall be consistent with the unfunded status of the Plan
unless the Committee otherwise determines.
18.11
Affiliation
. Nothing in the
Plan or an Award Agreement shall interfere with or limit in any way the right of the Company or any Affiliate to terminate any Grantees
employment or consulting contract at any time, nor confer upon any Grantee the right to continue in the employ of or as an officer of
or as a consultant to orNon-EmployeeDirector of the Company or any Affiliate.
18.12
Participation
. No employee or
officer shall have the right to be selected to receive an Award under this Plan or, having been so selected, to be selected to receive
a future Award.
18.13
Military Service
. Awards shall
be administered in accordance with Section414(u) of the Code and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of
1994.
18.14
Construction
. The following
rules of construction will apply to the Plan: (a)the word or is disjunctive but not necessarily exclusive, and (b)words
in the singular include the plural, words in the plural include the singular, and words in the neuter gender include the masculine and
feminine genders and words in the masculine or feminine gender include the other neuter genders.
18.15
Headings
. The headings of articles
and sections are included solely for convenience of reference, and if there is any conflict between such headings and the text of this
Plan, the text shall control.
18.16
Obligations
. Unless otherwise
specified in the Award Agreement, the obligation to deliver, pay or transfer any amount of money or other property pursuant to Awards
under this Plan shall be the sole obligation of a Grantees employer; provided that the obligation to deliver or transfer any Shares
pursuant to Awards under this Plan shall be the sole obligation of the Company.
18.17
No Right to Continue as Director
.
Nothing in the Plan or any Award Agreement shall confer upon anyNon-EmployeeDirector the right to continue to serve as a director
of the Company.
18.18
Stockholder Approval
. All Incentive
Stock Options granted on or after the Effective Date and prior to the date the Companys stockholders approve the Plan are expressly
conditioned upon and subject to approval of the Plan by the Companys stockholders.
YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT.
PLEASE VOTE TODAY
.
Vote
by Internet - QUICK
IMMEDIATE - 24 Hours
a Day, 7 Days a Week or by Mail
ARCTURUS THERAPEUTICS
Your Internet vote authorizes the named proxies to vote your shares in the same manner as if you marked, signed and returned your proxy
card. Votes submitted electronically over the Internet must be received by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on June 13, 2024.
www.cstproxyvote.com
PLEASE DO NOT RETURN THE PROXY CARD
PROXY
Pleasemark
your votes
like this
☒
THIS PROXY, WHEN PROPERLY EXECUTED, WILL BE VOTED IN THE MANNER DIRECTED BY THE UNDERSIGNED STOCKHOLDER. IF NO INSTRUCTIONS ARE GIVEN,
THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED FOR THOSE NOMINEES AND THE PROPOSALS LISTED BELOW. DISCRETIONARY VOTING IS HEREBY CONFERRED AS TO CERTAIN MATTERS
DESCRIBED IN THE ACCOMPANYING PROXY STATEMENT. THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE FOR EACH NOMINEE AND FOR
PROPOSALS 2, 3 AND 4.
To approve an amendment to the Amended and Restated 2019 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan (as amended, the Plan) to, among
other things, increase the maximum number of shares of common stock available to Plan participants thereunder by 2,000,000 shares to an
aggregate of 10,750,000 shares, as provided in Proposal Number 2 of the Proxy Statement.
FOR
☐
AGAINST
ABSTAIN
(1) Dr. Peter Farrell
(2) Joseph E. Payne
(3) Andy Sassine
(4) James Barlow
(5) Dr. Edward W. Holmes
(6) Dr. Magda Marquet
(7) Dr. Jing L. Marantz
(8) Dr. John Markels
FOR
all
Nominees
listed to the
left
WITHHOLD AUTHORITY
to vote (except as marked to
the contrary for all nominees
listed to the left)
☐
FOR
☐
AGAINST
☐
ABSTAIN
☐
Ratification of the appointment of Deloitte Touche LLP as the Companys independent registered public accounting firm for
the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024.
FOR
☐
AGAINST
ABSTAIN
Note: Please sign exactly as your name appears on this Proxy. When shares are held jointly, each holder should sign. When signing as an
executor, administrator, trustee, or guardian, please give the full title as such. If the signer is a corporation, please sign the full
corporate name by a duly authorized officer, giving full title as such. If the signer is a partnership, please sign in partnership name
by authorized person.
Important Notice Regarding the Internet Availability of Proxy
Materials for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders
to be held Friday, June
14, 2024
To view the 2024 Proxy Statement and the
2023 Annual Report please go to:
https://www.cstproxy.com/arcturusrx/2024
PROXY
PROXY
FOR ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD JUNE 14, 2024
THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ARCTURUS THERAPEUTICS HOLDINGS INC.
The undersigned appoints Joseph E. Payne and Andy Sassine, and each of them, agents and proxies of the undersigned, with full power of
substitution to each of them, to represent and to vote on behalf of the undersigned all the Common Stock of Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings
Inc. (the Company) which the undersigned is entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the Meeting)
to be held at 9:00 a.m. (Pacific Time) on Friday, June 14, 2024, and at any adjournments or postponements thereof, upon the following
matters on the reverse side, which are more fully described in the Proxy Statement relating to the Meeting.
(Continued, and to be marked, dated and signed, on the other side)
For the 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders
to be held on June 14, 2024
ABOUT THE PROXY MATERIALS AND ANNUAL MEETING
You may vote by mail. Complete, sign and date the proxy card
that accompanies this proxy statement and return it promptly in the postage-prepaid envelope provided. Your completed, signed and dated
proxy card must be received prior to the annual meeting.
You may vote via the Internet. To vote via the Internet, go to www.cstproxyvote.com to complete an electronic proxy card (have your
proxy card in hand when you visit the website). You will be asked to provide the company number and control number from your proxy card.
Internet voting is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, until 11:59 p.m., Eastern time, on June 13, 2024.
the election of Dr. Peter Farrell, Joseph E. Payne, Andy Sassine, James Barlow, Dr.
Edward W. Holmes, Dr. Magda Marquet, Dr. Jing L. Marantz, and Dr. John H. Markels to the Board, to serve until our next annual meeting
of stockholders;
the approval of an amendment (the Amendment) to the Amended and Restated 2019 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan (the Plan),
which among other things, increases the maximum number of shares of common stock available to Plan participants by 2,000,000 shares to
10,750,000 shares (the Amendment Proposal); and;
the approval, by non-binding advisory vote, of the resolution approving named executive
officer compensation (the Say on Pay Proposal);
the ratification of the appointment of Deloitte Touche LLP (Deloitte)
as our independent registered public accounting firm for our fiscal year ending December 31, 2024.
FOR
the election of Dr. Peter Farrell, Joseph E. Payne, Andy
Sassine, James Barlow, Dr. Edward W. Holmes, Dr. Magda Marquet, Dr. Jing L. Marantz and Dr. John H. Markels to the Board;
FOR
the Amendment Proposal; and
FOR
the Say on Pay Proposal;
FOR
the ratification of the appointment of Deloitte as our independent
registered public accounting firm for our fiscal year ending December 31, 2024.
entering a new vote over the Internet (until the applicable deadline set forth above);
returning a later-dated proxy card (which automatically revokes the earlier proxy);
providing a written notice of revocation to our corporate secretary at Arcturus Therapeutics
Holdings Inc., 10628 Science Center Drive, Suite 250, San Diego, California 92121, Attn: Corporate Secretary; or
attending the annual meeting and voting virtually.
FOR
the election of Dr. Peter Farrell, Joseph E. Payne, Andy Sassine, James Barlow, Dr. Edward W. Holmes, Dr.
Magda Marquet, Dr. Jing L. Marantz and Dr. John H. Markels to the Board;
FOR
the Amendment Proposal; and
FOR
the Say on Pay Proposal;
FOR
the ratification of the appointment of Deloitte as our independent registered public accounting firm for
our fiscal year ending December 31, 2024.
Attention: Investor Relations
10628 Science Center Drive, Suite 250
San Diego, California 92121
Name
Age
Position(s)
Director Since
Dr. Peter Farrell
81
Chairman of the Board
May 2018
Joseph E. Payne
52
President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
March 2013
Andy Sassine
59
Chief Financial Officer and Director
May 2018
James Barlow
65
Director
May 2018
Dr. Edward W. Holmes
83
Director
September 2019
Dr. Magda Marquet
65
Director
May 2018
Dr. Jing L. Marantz
58
Director
December 2021
Dr. John H. Markels
59
Director
December 2022
oversees the work of our independent auditors;
approves the hiring, discharging and compensation of our independent auditors;
approves engagements of the independent auditors to render any audit or permissible non-audit services;
reviews the qualifications, independence and performance of the independent auditors;
reviews our financial statements and our critical accounting policies and estimates;
reviews the adequacy and effectiveness of our internal controls;
reviews our policies with respect to risk assessment and risk management;
reviews and monitors our policies and procedures relating to related person transactions;
reviews and discusses with management and the independent auditors the results of our annual audit, our quarterly financial statements and our publicly filed reports; and
fulfills our Boards oversight responsibility with respect to our cybersecurity policies, overseeing our risk management with respect to cybersecurity, reviewing our adoption and implementation of systems, controls and procedures designed to prevent, detect and respond to cyber-attacks or security breaches involving us, and reviewing our cybersecurity insurance requirements.
reviews and recommends for Board approval policies, plans and arrangements relating
to compensation and benefits of our officers and employees;
reviews and recommends for Board approval corporate goals and objectives relevant
to the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer and other executive officers;
evaluates the performance of our executive officers in light of established goals
and objectives;
recommends compensation of our executive officers based on its evaluations;
reviews director compensation levels and practices, and recommends, from time to time,
changes in such compensation levels and practices to the Board;
reviews and discusses with management the compensation disclosures required by SEC
rules;
engages a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other external advisors to advise
on executive compensation and assess the independence of executive officers in accordance with Nasdaq;
evaluates whether any compensation consultant, legal counsel or other external advisor
has a conflict of interest in accordance with the SEC rules; and
prepares the annual compensation committee report required by SEC rules.
evaluates and makes recommendations regarding the organization and governance of our Board and its committees;
assesses the performance of members of our Board and makes recommendations regarding committee and chair assignments;
recommends desired qualifications for Board membership and conducts searches for potential members of our Board; and
reviews and makes recommendations with regard to our corporate governance guidelines.
Board Diversity Matrix (As of April 22, 2024)
Total Number of Directors: Eight
Female
Male
Non-Binary
Did Not Disclose Gender
Part I: Gender Identity
Directors
2
6
Part II: Demographic Background
Asian
1
Hispanic or Latinx
1
White
6
Did Not Disclose Demographic Background
The current size and composition of our Board and the needs of the Board and its respective
committees;
Factors such as character, integrity, judgment, diversity of experience, independence,
area of expertise, corporate experience, length of service, potential conflicts of interest, other commitments, and the like. Our nominating
and corporate governance committee evaluates these factors, among others, and does not assign any particular weighting or priority to
any of these factors; and
Other factors that our nominating and corporate governance committee may consider
appropriate.
The highest levels of personal and professional ethics and integrity;
Proven achievement and competence in the nominees field and the ability to exercise sound business judgment;
Skills that are complementary to those of the existing Board;
The ability to assist and support management and make significant contributions to our success; and
An understanding of the fiduciary responsibilities required of a member of the Board and the commitment of time and energy necessary
to diligently carry out those responsibilities.
Fees Earned
or Paid in
Option
All Other
Name
Cash ($)
Awards ($) (1)
Compensation ($)
Total ($)
Dr. Peter Farrell
$
55,000
$
273,000
$
328,000
Mr. James Barlow
$
57,500
$
273,000
$
330,500
Dr. Magda Marquet
$
45,000
$
273,000
$
318,000
Dr. Edward W. Holmes
$
52,500
$
273,000
$
325,500
Dr. Jing L. Marantz
$
45,000
$
273,000
$
318,000
Dr. John H. Markels
$
47,500
$
273,000
$
320,500
(1)
Represents annual option awards, which vest as set forth below in
Annual Equity Grants
.
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
Increases the number of shares
authorized for use in making awards under the Plan by 2,000,000 shares to 10,750,000, which will result in an aggregate 2,300,984
shares being available for future grants if the Amendment is approved.
stock options, including incentive stock options (ISOs);
stock appreciation rights (SARs);
restricted shares;
deferred stock and restricted stock units;
performance units and performance shares;
dividend equivalents;
bonus shares; and
other stock-based awards.
TO APPROVE, BY NON-BINDING ADVISORY VOTE, THE RESOLUTION APPROVING THE COMPANYS NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICER COMPENSATION
RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT
REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
(US Dollars in thousands)
2023
2022
Audit fees
(1)
$
1,345
$
1,074
Audit-related fees
Tax fees
(2)
17
201
All other fees
Total
$
1,362
$
1,275
(1)
Includes fees for professional services rendered by our principal accountant in connection with the audit of our consolidated annual financial statements and services that would normally be provided by our principal accountant in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements.
(2)
Tax fees are fees for services (including tax services provided in connection with our redomicile to the United States) rendered by our respective principal accountants in connection with tax compliance, tax planning and tax advice.
reviewed and discussed the audited financial statements for fiscal year 2023 with the management of Arcturus;
discussed with EY, Arcturus independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal year 2023, the matters required to
be discussed by Auditing Standard No. 16, Communications with Audit Committees, as amended (AICPA, Professional Standards, Vol. 1, section
380), and as adopted by the PCAOB in Rule 3200T; and
received the written disclosures and the letter from EY as required by applicable requirements of the PCAOB regarding EYs
communications with the audit committee concerning independence, and has discussed with EY its independence.
Name
Age
Position(s)
Joseph E. Payne
52
President and Chief Executive Officer
Andy Sassine
59
Chief Financial Officer
Dr. Padmanabh Chivukula
45
Chief Scientific Officer and Chief Operating Officer
Lance Kurata
54
Chief Legal Officer
Name
Title
Joseph E. Payne
President and Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Padmanabh Chivukula
Chief Scientific Officer, Chief Operating Officer
Andy Sassine
Chief Financial Officer
Lance Kurata
Chief Legal Officer
Alignment with Stockholders Interests. Our compensation model should be designed to align the economic
interests of our executives with those of our stockholders.
Pay for Performance. Our compensation model should deliver compensation at or above industry market levels
for exceptional performance and deliver compensation below the market levels of our industry for years in which the Company does not perform
well. Further, all of the time-based equity awards are granted as stock options, which we believe are also inherently performance based
as they only provide value to the executive if stockholders realize a positive return on their investment.
Total Rewards Program. The total compensation program must balance pay for performance elements with selected
static non-performance based elements in order to create a total rewards program that is competitive and will help us attract and retain
highly qualified and motivated executives.
Flexible Approach. The level of compensation provided to executives must take into account each executives
role, experience, tenure, performance and expected contributions to our future success.
Focus on Achievement of Business Goals. The compensation program should be structured so that executives
are appropriately incentivized to achieve our short- and long-term goals that are viewed as fundamental to driving value in our business.
☒
Pay-for-Performance
. A substantial majority of the compensation awarded to our NEOs is either tied to specific company-wide goals or have been made in the form of stock option awards that will only have value if the price of our stock increases after the grant date. There were no full value equity awards that guarantee value if the stock price does not increase, also known as restricted share or restricted stock units, granted to NEOs in 2023.
☒
Modest Perquisites.
We provide only modest perquisites and nearly all of those perquisites are in the form of insurance benefits that we believe are in line with industry practice for executive compensation. We do not provide perquisites such as personal travel reimbursement, tax services or financial planning.
☒
Periodic Peer Group Review
. The compensation committee periodically reviews the Companys compensation peer group and uses the market data for context, although it does not target any specific percentile.
☒
Double Trigger
. Our severance policy (the Severance Policy) only provides our executive officers with acceleration of unvested equity awards held by them if they are terminated (without cause or constructively) in connection with a change of control transaction or within 18 months following a change of control transaction. We do not provide accelerated vesting of equity awards on a change in control alone.
☒
Reasonable Post-Employment and Change of Control Severance Arrangements
. We believe that our severance arrangements with our executive officers are reasonable and in line with industry practice.
☒
Regular Review of Share Utilization for Equity Compensation
. We regularly evaluate equity spending by reviewing overhang levels (the dilutive impact of equity compensation on stockholders) and annual run rates (the aggregate shares awarded as a percentage of total outstanding shares).
☒
Mitigate
Undue Risk
. We have designed our executive compensation program to mitigate undue risk associated with compensation by, among other things, awarding a substantial portion of executive compensation in the form of long-term compensation with multi-year vesting (i.e. stock options with multi-year vesting requirements).
☒
Utilize Independent Compensation Consulting Firm
. The compensation committee regularly consults with an independent compensation consulting firm which provides no other services to the Company. For more information on our independent compensation consultant, please see Board Meetings and CommitteesCompensation Committee above.
☒
No Stock Option Repricing Without Stockholder Approval
. Our equity incentive plans prohibit us from repricing, exchanging or otherwise providing value for underwater stock options.
☒
No Inclusion of the Value of Equity Awards in Severance Calculations.
Our post-termination and change of control severance arrangements do not include the value of equity awards in annual compensation for purposes of determining cash severance amounts.
☒
No Fixed Employment Terms or Guaranteed Future Compensation
. We do not have employment contracts with our executive officers that provide guaranteed terms of employment or guaranteed future compensation levels.
☒
No Funded Pension or Retirement Plans
. We do not provide any guaranteed or funded retirement plan benefits other than matching under the Companys 401(k) plan.
☒
No Hedging Transactions, Share Pledging, or Short Sales by Employees or Directors
. Our insider trading policy prohibits any employee or director from engaging in hedging transactions, short sales or trading in any derivative security of the Company. This policy also prohibits pledging our shares on margin.
1.
Base Salary. Each NEO earned an annual base salary during 2023 as a minimum guarantee of compensation
to secure their ongoing employment and dedication.
2.
Short-Term Incentive Compensation. Each NEO was eligible to earn an incentive cash compensation payment
for the 2023 performance period based on qualitative assessment of the Companys progress against its corporate goals and his individual
performance and/or contribution to such progress. The purpose is to drive short-term performance as milestones towards the goal of creating
long-term value for stockholders.
3.
Long-Term Incentive Compensation. Each NEO was awarded a stock option grant during 2023, subject to a
time-based vesting schedule. The purpose of the stock option grants to reward growth in the stock price, with a multi-year vesting schedule
to support retention of key employees and a long-term value orientation.
Name and Principal
Position
Increase ($)
Increase (%)
Joseph E. Payne
President and Chief Executive Officer, Director
630,000
698,000
68,000
11
%
Dr. Padmanabh Chivukula
Chief Scientific Officer, Chief Operating Officer
525,000
550,000
25,000
5
%
Andy Sassine
Chief Financial Officer
525,000
550,000
25,000
5
%
Lance Kurata
Chief Legal Officer
435,000
500,000
65,000
15
%
Name
Joseph E. Payne
418,800
60
Dr. Padmanabh Chivukula
275,000
50
Andy Sassine
275,000
50
Lance Kurata
200,000
40
ARCT-810: Phase 2 (EU) complete sufficient enrollment to establish interim biological POC data (i.e. biomarker changes);
ARCT-032: Phase 1 (NZ) complete enrollment of 32 subjects determine feasibility of dosing (i.e. safety/tolerability);
Publish in a high impact peer-reviewed journal;
ARCT-154: Complete Phase 3 enrollment in Japan, Interim Data Analysis, NDA filing to PMDA
ARCT-154: MAA/BLA filed;
Bivalent: Candidate Nomination, IND/CTA Filing, initiate Phase 3;
BARDA: Nominate Pandemic Flu Development Candidate;
$100M (non-dilutive): Includes CSL Milestones, Meiji Financials, CFF Funding, Cancer (or other) pharma partnership deal;
$100M (dilutive): Assumes CSL Audit Plan $45M milestone achieved, OTC data POC, CF through Phase 1 with no safety issues ;
SEC Filings: On-time; SOX404: Compliant;
Corporate Policies / Compliance: Implementation and Monitoring;
Intellectual Property: New filings and maintenance; trade secrets database, trademark registrations; and
Collaborations held in good standing by management team.
Name and Principal
Position
Year
Salary
($)
Bonus
($)
(1)
Option
Awards
($)
(2)
All
Other
Compensation
($)
Total
($)
Joseph E. Payne
2023
698,000
208,500
3,986,000
4,892,500
President and Chief Executive Officer,
Director
2022
630,000
504,000
4,460,000
5,594,000
2021
600,000
360,000
960,000
Dr. Padmanabh Chivukula
2023
550,000
137,500
2,491,000
3,178,500
Chief Scientific Officer, Chief Operating
Officer
2022
525,000
262,500
2,318,500
3,106,000
2021
500,000
250,000
750,000
Andy Sassine
2023
550,000
137,500
1,495,000
2,182,500
Chief Financial Officer, Director
2022
525,000
301,875
2,318,500
3,145,375
2021
500,000
250,000
750,000
Lance Kurata
2023
500,000
100,000
1,495,000
2,095,000
Chief Legal Officer
2022
435,000
304,500
442,500
1,182,000
2021
400,000
160,000
560,000
Name
Grant
Date
All Other
Option
Awards:
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Options
(#)
Exercise
Price of
Option
Awards
($)
Grant Date
Fair Value of
Option
Awards
($)
(1)
Joseph Payne
12/15/2023
200,000
28.88
3,986,240
Dr. Padmanabh Chivukula
12/15/2023
125,000
28.88
2,491,400
Andy Sassine
12/15/2023
75,000
28.88
1,494,840
Lance Kurata
12/15/2023
75,000
28.88
1,494,840
An annual base salary of $630,000, paid in bi-monthly installments.
An annual bonus of up to 60% of annual base salary. The bonus will be subject to the achievement of certain
criteria, as determined by our Board and compensation committee.
Reimbursement of travel and other expenses incurred by Mr. Payne in connection with his service as President
and Chief Executive Officer.
For termination without cause or resignation for good reason unrelated to change in control of, Mr. Payne
will be entitled to receive (i) severance pay in the form of continuation of payment installments of Mr. Paynes final base salary
for 18 months, (ii) a pro rata portion of his annual bonus (as calculated by the compensation committee and Board at the end of the bonus
period and paid in a lump sum when annual bonuses are paid to other executive officers), and (iii) payment of certain health insurance
coverage premiums (COBRA) for up to 18 months following his termination of employment.
For termination without cause or resignation for good reason in connection with a change in control us,
Mr. Payne will be entitled to receive a lump sum severance payment equal to (i) eighteen months annual base salary, (ii) an amount
equal to his target annual bonus for the year of termination and (iii) an amount equal to a pro rata portion of his target annual bonus
for the year of termination. Mr. Payne will also be entitled to payment of certain health insurance coverage premiums (COBRA) for up to
18 months following termination. In addition, Mr. Paynes unvested option awards and any other unvested time-based vesting equity
awards then held by him will accelerate and become immediately vested and exercisable, if applicable, and no longer subject to repurchase,
if applicable, upon such termination and will remain exercisable, if applicable, following Mr. Paynes termination as set forth
in the applicable equity award.
An annual base salary of $525,000, paid in bi-monthly installments.
An annual bonus of up to 50% of annual base salary. The bonus will be subject to the achievement of certain
criteria, as determined by our Board and compensation committee.
Reimbursement of travel and other expenses incurred by Mr. Sassine in connection with his service as Chief
Financial Officer.
For termination without cause or resignation for good reason unrelated to change in control of us, Mr.
Sassine will be entitled to receive (i) severance pay in the form of continuation of payment installments of Mr. Sassines final
base salary for 12 months, (ii) a pro rata portion of his annual bonus (as calculated by the compensation committee and Board at the end
of the bonus period and paid in a lump sum when annual bonuses are paid to other executive officers), and (iii) payment of certain health
insurance coverage premiums (COBRA) for up to 12 months following his termination of employment.
For termination without cause or resignation for good reason in connection with a change in control of
us, Mr. Sassine will be entitled to receive a lump sum severance payment equal to (i) one years annual base salary, (ii) an amount
equal to his target annual bonus for the year of termination and (iii) an amount equal to a pro rata portion of his target annual bonus
for the year of termination. Mr. Sassine will also be entitled to payment of certain health insurance coverage premiums (COBRA) for up
to 12 months following termination. In addition, Mr. Sassines unvested option awards and any other unvested time-based vesting
equity awards then held by him will accelerate and become immediately vested and exercisable, if applicable, and no longer subject to
repurchase, if applicable, upon such termination and will remain exercisable, if applicable, following Mr. Sassines termination
as set forth in the applicable equity award.
An annual base salary of $525,000, paid in bi-monthly installments.
An annual bonus of up to 50% of annual base salary. The bonus will be subject to the achievement of certain criteria, as determined
by the Board and compensation committee.
Reimbursement of travel and other expenses incurred by Dr. Chivukula in connection with his service as Chief Scientific Officer and
Chief Operating Officer.
For termination without cause or resignation for good reason unrelated to change in control of us, Dr. Chivukula will be entitled
to receive (i) severance pay in the form of continuation of payment installments of Dr. Chivukulas final base salary for 12 months,
(ii) a pro rata portion of his annual bonus (as calculated by the compensation committee and Board at the end of the bonus period and
paid in a lump sum when annual bonuses are paid to other executive officers), and (iii) payment of certain health insurance coverage premiums
(COBRA) for up to 12 months following his termination of employment.
For termination without cause or resignation for good reason in connection with a change in control of us, Dr. Chivukula will be entitled
to receive a lump sum severance payment equal to (i) one years annual base salary, (ii) an amount equal to his target annual bonus
for the year of termination and (iii) an amount equal to a pro rata portion of his target annual bonus for the year of termination. Dr.
Chivukula will also be entitled to payment of certain health insurance coverage premiums (COBRA) for up to twelve (12) months following
termination. In addition, Dr. Chivukulas unvested option award and any other unvested time-based vesting equity awards then held
by him will accelerate and become immediately vested and exercisable, if applicable, and no longer subject to repurchase, if applicable,
upon such termination and will remain exercisable, if applicable, following Dr. Chivukulas termination as set forth in the applicable
equity award.
An annual base salary of $375,000, paid in bi-monthly installments.
An annual bonus of up to 40% of annual base salary. The bonus will be subject to the
achievement of certain criteria, as determined by the Board and compensation committee.
Reimbursement of travel and other expenses incurred by Mr. Kurata in connection with
his service as Chief Legal Officer.
For termination without cause or resignation for good reason unrelated to change in
control of us, Mr. Kurata will be entitled to receive (i) severance pay in the form of continuation of payment installments of Mr. Kurata
final base salary for 12 months, (ii) a pro rata portion of his annual bonus (as calculated by the compensation committee and Board at
the end of the bonus period and paid in a lump sum when annual bonuses are paid to other executive officers), and (iii) payment of certain
health insurance coverage premiums (COBRA) for up to 12 months following his termination of employment.
For termination without cause or resignation for good reason in connection with a
change in control of us, Mr. Kurata will be entitled to receive a lump sum severance payment equal to (i) one years annual base
salary, (ii) an amount equal to his target annual bonus for the year of termination and (iii) an amount equal to a pro rata portion of
his target annual bonus for the year of termination. Mr. Kurata will also be entitled to payment of certain health insurance coverage
premiums (COBRA) for up to twelve (12) months following termination. In addition, Mr. Kuratas unvested option award and any other
unvested time-based vesting equity awards then held by him will accelerate and become immediately vested and exercisable, if applicable,
and no longer subject to repurchase, if applicable, upon such termination and will remain exercisable, if applicable, following Mr. Kuratas
termination as set forth in the applicable equity award.
Change of Control
Name
Involuntary
Termination
without Cause or Resignation for Good Reason
($)
Vesting upon
qualifying
termination or if Award
not Assumed,
Substituted or
Continued by
the Acquiring
Entity
(2)
Joseph Payne
(4) (5)
Cash Severance
$
1,464,000
$
1,464,000
Equity Treatment
$
34,783,350
Health and Welfare
$
12,600
$
12,600
TOTAL
$
1,476,600
$
1,476,600
$
34,783,350
Dr. Padmanabh Chivukula
(3) (5)
Cash Severance
$
825,000
$
825,000
Equity Treatment
$
20,276,550
Health and Welfare
$
8,400
$
8,400
TOTAL
$
833,400
$
833,400
$
20,276,550
Andy Sassine
(3)(5)
Cash Severance
$
825,000
$
825,000
Equity Treatment
$
20,853,525
Health and Welfare
$
8,400
$
8,400
TOTAL
$
833,400
$
833,400
$
20,853,525
Lance Kurata
(3)(5)
Cash Severance
$
700,000
$
700,000
Equity Treatment
$
12,034,050
Health and Welfare
$
8,400
$
8,400
TOTAL
$
708,400
$
708,400
$
12,034,050
Year
Salary
($)
Bonus
($)
Option
Awards
($)
All
Other
Compensation
($)
Total
($)
Joseph E. Payne
2023
698,000
208,500
3,986,000
4,892,500
Median Employee
2023
156,000
16,000
160,000
332,000
Ratio of Median Employees to Mr. Paynes Annual Total Compensation
Year
Summary
Compensation Table Total for Joseph E. Payne
1
($)
Compensation
Actually Paid to Joseph E. Payne
1,2,3
($)
Average Summary Compensation Table Total for Non-PEO NEOs
1
($)
Average Compensation Actually Paid to Non-PEO NEOs
1,2,3
($)
Value of Initial Fixed $100 Investment based on:
4
Net Income
($ Millions)
TSR
($)
Peer Group TSR
($)
2023
4,892,500
9,794,227
2,485,333
4,673,949
72.68
91.84
(29.7)
2022
5,594,000
2,673,712
3,125,688
1,256,688
39.10
88.53
9.3
2021
960,000
62,056
676,000
232,220
85.32
99.37
(203.7)
1.
Joseph E. Payne was our PEO for each year presented. The individuals
comprising the Non-PEO NEOs for each year presented are listed below.
2021
2022
2023
Andy Sassine
Andy Sassine
Andy Sassine
Dr. Padmanabh Chivukula
Dr. Padmanabh Chivukula
Dr. Padmanabh Chivukula
Lance Kurata
Lance Kurata
Dr. Steven Hughes
2.
The amounts shown for Compensation Actually Paid have been calculated
in accordance with Item 402(v) of Regulation S-K and do not reflect compensation actually earned, realized, or received by the Companys
NEOs. These amounts reflect the Summary Compensation Table Total with certain adjustments as described in footnote 3 below.
3.
Compensation Actually Paid reflects the exclusions and inclusions
of certain amounts for the PEO and the Non-PEO NEOs as set forth below. Equity values are calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic
718. Amounts in the Exclusion of Option Awards column are the amounts from the Option Awards column set forth in the Summary Compensation
Table.
Year
Summary Compensation Table Total for Joseph E. Payne
($)
Exclusion of Option Awards for Joseph E. Payne
($)
Inclusion of Equity Values for Joseph E. Payne
($)
Compensation Actually Paid to Joseph E. Payne
($)
2023
(3,986,000)
2022
5,594,000
(4,460,000)
1,539,712
2,673,712
2021
960,000
(897,944)
62,056
Year
Average Summary Compensation Table Total for Non-PEO NEOs
($)
Average Exclusion of Stock Awards and Option Awards for Non-PEO NEOs
($)
Average Inclusion of Equity Values for Non-PEO NEOs
($)
Average Compensation Actually Paid to Non-PEO NEOs
($)
2023
2,485,333
(1,827,000)
4,673,949
2022
3,125,688
(2,318,500)
449,500
1,256,688
2021
676,000
(443,780)
232,220
Year
Year-End Fair Value of Equity Awards Granted During Year That Remained Unvested as of Last Day of Year for Joseph E. Payne
($)
Change in Fair Value from Last Day of Prior Year to Last Day of Year of Unvested Equity Awards for Joseph E. Payne
($)
Vesting-Date Fair Value of Equity Awards Granted During Year that Vested During Year for Joseph E. Payne
($)
Change in Fair Value from Last Day of Prior Year to Vesting Date of Unvested Equity Awards that Vested During Year for Joseph E. Payne
($)
Fair Value at Last Day of Prior Year of Equity Awards Forfeited During Year for Joseph E. Payne
($)
Total - Inclusion of
Equity Values for Joseph E. Payne
($)
2023
3,347,013
8,797,727
2022
4,561,826
(1,919,615)
456,861
(1,559,360)
1,539,712
2021
(1,395,948)
498,004
(897,944)
Year
Average Year-End Fair Value of Equity Awards Granted During Year That Remained Unvested as of Last Day of Year for Non-PEO NEOs
($)
Average Change in Fair Value from Last Day of Prior Year to Last Day of Year of Unvested Equity Awards for Non-PEO NEOs
($)
Average Vesting-Date Fair Value of Equity Awards Granted During Year that Vested During Year for Non-PEO NEOs
($)
Average Change in Fair Value from Last Day of Prior Year to Vesting Date of Unvested Equity Awards that Vested During Year for Non-PEO NEOs
($)
Average Fair Value at Last Day of Prior Year of Equity Awards Forfeited During Year for Non-PEO NEOs
($)
Total - Average Inclusion of
Equity Values for Non-PEO NEOs
($)
2023
2,170,906
1,680,605
364,105
4,215,616
2022
2,374,286
(1,174,650)
258,888
(1,009,024)
449,500
2021
(710,024)
266,244
(443,780)
1.
The Company TSR (as defined below) assumes $100 was invested in the Company for the period starting December 31, 2020 through
the end of the listed year. Historical stock performance is not necessarily indicative of future stock performance.
Name
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Exercisable
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Unexercisable (1)
Option
Exercise
Price ($)
Option
Expiration
Date
Joseph Payne
120,000
8.00
08/24/2028
60,000
4.99
02/07/2029
3,021
1,007
14.12
02/18/2030
128,229
42,743
99.29
12/18/2030
37,500
75,000
34.57
12/10/2031
62,500
187,500
16.92
12/09/2032
200,000
28.88
12/15/2033
Dr. Padmanabh Chivukula
80,000
8.00
08/24/2028
40,000
4.99
02/07/2029
57,500
2,500
14.12
02/18/2030
75,000
25,000
99.29
12/18/2030
42,500
42,500
34.57
12/10/2031
31,250
93,750
16.92
12/09/2032
125,000
28.88
12/15/2033
Andy Sassine
36,250
8.00
08/24/2028
100,000
4.53
01/01/2029
15,000
10.23
10/25/2029
76,666
3,334
14.12
02/18/2030
75,000
25,000
99.29
12/18/2030
42,500
42,500
34.57
12/10/2031
31,250
93,750
16.92
12/09/2032
75,000
28.88
12/15/2033
Lance Kurata
75,000
15,000
58.91
08/10/2030
18,750
6,250
99.29
12/18/2030
25,000
25,000
34.57
12/10/2031
31,250
93,750
16.92
12/09/2032
75,000
28.88
12/15/2033
Plan Category
Number of
Securities to be
Issued upon
Exercise of
Outstanding
Options,
Warrants and
Rights
(a)
Weighted
Average
Exercise Price of
Outstanding
Options,
Warrants and
Rights
(b)
Number of
Securities
Remaining Available
for Future Issuance
Under Equity
Compensation Plans
(Excluding
Securities Reflected
in Column a)
(c)
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders
7,971,127
$
33.55
313,594
$
Total
7,971,127
$
33.55
313,594
the related persons interest
in the related person transaction;
the approximate dollar value of
the amount involved in the related person transaction;
the approximate dollar value of
the amount of the related persons interest in the transaction without regard to the amount of any profit or loss;
whether the transaction was undertaken
in the ordinary course of business;
whether the transaction with the
related person is proposed to be, or was, entered into on terms no less favorable to us than terms that could have been reached with
an unrelated third party;
the purpose of, and the potential
benefits to us of, the transaction; and
any other information regarding
the related person transaction or the related person in the context of the proposed transaction that would be material to investors in
light of the circumstances of the particular transaction.
each person or entity known by
us to own beneficially 5% or more of our outstanding shares;
each of our directors and executive
officers individually; and
all of our executive officers
and directors as a group.
Common Stock
Beneficially Owned
5% or Greater Stockholders
Number
Percentage
Federated
Hermes, Inc.
(1)
4,711,512
17.5
%
BlackRock,
Inc.
(2)
2,743,002
10.2
%
ARK
Investment Management LLC
(3)
2,047,687
7.6
%
State
Street Corporation
(4)
1,629,666
6.1
%
The
Vanguard Group
(5)
1,458,380
5.4
%
Directors and Executive Officers
Joseph
E. Payne
(6)
2,100,722
7.6
%
Andy
Sassine
(7)
689,276
2.5
%
Padmanabh
Chivukula
(8)
840,948
3.1
%
Lance
Kurata
(9)
186,250
*
Peter
C Farrell
(10)
199,934
*
Magda
Marquet
(11)
129,311
*
James
Barlow
(12)
114,369
*
Edward.
W. Holmes
(13)
91,869
*
Jing
L. Marantz
(14)
53,568
*
John
Markels
(15)
33,855
*
All directors and executive officers as a group (10 persons)
4,440,102
15.3
%
(1)
Based on an Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on January 17, 2024. The address of Federated Hermes, Inc. is 1001 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779.
(2)
Based on a Form 13G/A filed with the SEC on April 5, 2024. The address of BlackRock, Inc. is 55 East 52nd Street New York, NY 10055.
(3)
Based on a Form 13G/A filed with the SEC on January 29, 2024. The address of ARK Investment Management LLC is 3 East 28
th
Street, 7
th
Floor, New York, NY 10016.
(4)
Based on a Form 13G/A filed with the SEC on January 25, 2024. The address of State Street Corporation is State Street Financial Center, 1 Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111.
(5)
Based on a Form 13G filed with the SEC on February 13, 2024. The address of The Vanguard Group is 100 Vanguard Blvd. Malvern, PA 19355.
(6)
Includes 620,625 shares issuable upon the exercise of options exercisable within 60 days of April 15, 2024; does not include 434,375 shares issuable upon the exercise of options subject to vesting.
(7)
Includes 418,750 shares issuable upon the exercise of options exercisable within 60 days of April 15, 2024; does not include 197,500 shares issuable upon the exercise of options subject to vesting.
(8)
Includes 367,500 shares issuable upon the exercise of options exercisable within 60 days of April 15, 2024; does not include 247,500 shares issuable upon the exercise of options subject to vesting.
(9)
Includes 186,250 shares issuable upon the exercise of options exercisable within 60 days of April 15, 2024; does not include 178,750 shares issuable upon the exercise of options subject to vesting.
(10)
Includes 104,369 shares issuable upon the exercise of options exercisable within 60 days of April 15, 2024.
(11)
Includes 104,369 shares issuable upon the exercise of options exercisable within 60 days of April 15, 2024.
(12)
Includes 104,369 shares issuable upon the exercise of options exercisable within 60 days of April 15, 2024.
(13)
Includes 91,869 shares issuable upon the exercise of options exercisable within 60 days of April 15, 2024.
(14)
Includes 53,568 shares issuable upon the exercise of options exercisable within 60 days of April 15, 2024.
(15)
Includes 33,855 shares issuable upon the exercise of options exercisable within 60 days of April 15, 2024; does not include 5,000 shares issuable upon the exercise of options subject to vesting.
Attn: Corporate Secretary
10628 Science Center Drive, Suite 250,
San Diego, California 92121
not earlier than February 15,
2025, and
not later than March 17, 2025
the 90th day prior to such annual
meeting, or
the 10th day following the day
on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made.
Attn: Corporate Secretary
10628 Science Center Drive, Suite 250,
San Diego, California 92121
April 29, 2024
EASY
HOLDINGS INC.
INTERNET
Use the Internet to vote your proxy. Have your proxy card available when you access the above website. Follow the prompts to vote your
shares.
MAIL
Mark, sign and date
your proxy card and return it in the postage-paid envelope provided.
IF
YOU ARE VOTING ELECTRONICALLY.
FOLD
HERE DO NOT SEPARATE INSERT IN ENVELOPE PROVIDED
1. Approval of the election of the following individuals as directors of the Company, to serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders.
2.
3.
Approval, by non-binding advisory vote, of the resolution approving the Companys Named Executive Officer compensation, as provided
in Proposal Number 3 of the Proxy Statement.
(INSTRUCTION:
To withhold authority to vote for any individual nominee, strike a line through that nominees name in the list above)
4.
CONTROL NUMBER
Signature__________________________Signature if held jointly
_
_____________________ Date____________, 2024.
FOLD
HERE DO NOT SEPARATE INSERT IN ENVELOPE PROVIDED